The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.
THE BUCK STOPS HERE
Rumors have been floating around that Cass Tech (Detroit) safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell was set to announce his college decision sometime soon. Well, it looks as if you can put that hearsay to bed.
My college decision will not come until after the season.
— Jaylen Kelly-Powell (@JKellypowell) August 5, 2016
“There has been speculation that I would be committing soon, and I wanted to put those rumors to bed,” he told Eleven Warriors. “I don't want it to be a distraction for me or my team. I'm concentrating on winning states with my team. Plus I need my parents to see a few schools first to help aid my decision. I have great relationships with coaches and owe it to them and myself to go through the process with open ears, eyes and mind.”
The 6-foot, 175-pounder has taken multiple visits to Ohio State, but said that he will not be taking an official visit this fall. The same goes for Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame.
“I'm not taking official visits to any school that close [to home] or that I've visited many times,” he said. “That's not to say I will not do unofficial visits to those schools.”
Kelly-Powell attended Friday Night Lights late last month. Though he did not participate in workouts, he thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
“My visit to Ohio State is always great. I love being there,” he said. “The staff is great. My alumni brothers [running back Mike Weber, defensive back Damon Webb and defensive tackle Josh Alabi] are there.
“I didn't go through drills because coach [Kerry] Coombs has been stressing me to shut things down for the summer and get rest for the season. I respect whatever he tells me and I did.”
Landing the four-star safety remains an uphill battle, and Michigan is considered the favorite in his recruitment. Nevertheless, Coombs has made a great impression thus far.
“I learn so much about the game and life from [coaches]. Good or bad,” Kelly-Powell said. “The hardest part of the process is knowing that I can only play for one of them.”
SOLIDIFYING THE TRENCHES
Ohio State offered Concord, North Carolina, defensive tackle Rick Sandidge on Thursday, so we caught up with the No. 3 overall prospect in the Tar Heel State earlier Friday.
“When Ohio [State] offered me, I was like, 'Woah, today must be my lucky day,'” he told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-4, 273-pounder has a long list of offers that includes Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. Sandidge hopes to make to Columbus soon, but hasn't put much thought into when as Thursday was the first time that he spoke with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Sandidge is considered by 247Sports' composite rankings to be the 10th-ranked defensive tackle and No. 51 overall player in his class.
TIGHT END LONGS FOR OFFER
Ohio State isn't recruiting a tight end in the 2017 cycle, so the position is getting a lot of attention in the Class of 2018. The Buckeyes already offered four-star prospects Zack Kuntz of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, and Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst, New York, and another highly ranked recruit is hoping for the same.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Rosewell, Goergia's, Tyneil Hopper told Eleven Warriors. “Just like every other offer, it's another school that believes that I can play and compete at their school.”
Considered the No. 11 tight end in his class, Hopper has offers from Louisville, Kentucky, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Schools like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Notre Dame have also checked in.
Though Hopper said he hasn't spoken with any coaches recently, he get some one-on-one time at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights camp last month.
“It was a great experience. I got a chance to meet with coach [Tony] Alford and coach [Ed] Warinner. I also toured around the facilities and locker room and tried on some gear,” he said. “We we started the camp, I had a great time working with some of the top tight ends in the 2018 class. Coach Warinner set up some great drills for us, and overall, I believe that I had a very productive day.
“After the camp, we had food and we sat and talked to coach [Warinner] for a little bit,” Hopper continued. “He said I had a very good day and to keep in touch.”
Hopper hopes to make it to Columbus for a visit this fall — so long as his parents approve, of course.
'A DREAM COME TRUE'
Ohio State extended another offer on Thursday to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, American Heritage defensive back Tyson Campbell. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound corner took to Twitter to share the news.
Truly blessed to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University #gobuckeyes pic.twitter.com/isMn6GyQIc
— Tyson Campbell (@tyson_003) August 5, 2016
Campbell now has 16 scholarship offers from schools like Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Miami and Michigan.
“It was a blessing [and] a dream come true,” he told 247Sports shortly after his announcement.
The 13th-ranked corner and No. 90 player overall plans on making a trip to Ohio State, but is unsure when it will happen.
UNFORTUNATE NEWS FOR FORMER COMMIT
Running back George Hill was the first commitment of Ohio State's 2016 class, but decommitted and flipped to Pittsburgh two months prior to signing day. On Friday, the Hubbard native was found to have a preexisting cardiac condition that disqualifies him from ever playing a down for the Panthers.
Narduzzi announces five #Pitt players will be inactive due to medical conditions. https://t.co/nd1Do5ewk6 pic.twitter.com/vrujp6u5ZG
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) August 5, 2016
A press release from the university states that Hill will remain with the program on scholarship as a permanent medical exemption. He was considered the eighth-best athlete and No. 153 overall player in the Class of 2016.
