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.
GOING DOWN IN THE DMV
Waldorf, Maryland, four-star offensive tackle Rasheed Walker announced on Twitter late Friday night that he received a scholarship offer from Ohio State. The 6-foot-5, 280 pounder is considered the ninth-best player in the state and the No. 20 offensive tackle in the Class of 2018.
Blessed to receive and offer from The Ohio State pic.twitter.com/1GqC3EqRK7
— CincoTres (@_SheEdCoolin_) September 3, 2016
Walker started his high school career as a defensive end, but has grown more than three inches and packed on 50 pounds in the last year as he transitioned to the offensive line. That's one of the reasons schools like Florida, North Carolina and Ohio State have extended offers in the past week. The other? He simply runs over defenders.
I'd imagine more schools will enter the race in the near future, but it seems like Maryland has the upper hand in his recruitment at the moment. The Terrapins were of Walker's eight offers.
COMBING THROUGH CASS TECH
Ohio State hosted a pair of stud sophomores from Detroit, Michigan, Cass Tech over the weekend in running back Jaren Mangham and cornerback Xavier Goldsmith. It was the perfect game for them to watch, as former Technician Mike Weber rushed for 136 yards in his first career start with the Scarlet and Gray.
“I had a great time at Ohio State,” Mangham told Eleven Warriors. “I like the environment. Everyone was so nice. They were all so positive [and] everyone was so supportive for their team. It was awesome.”
The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder is considered the third-best prospect in the state of Michigan and the No. 9 athlete in the Class of 2019. He has offers from Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Kentucky and Missouri, but said he's talked with Ohio State coaches quite a bit.
“I've been to Ohio State multiple times,” Mangham said. “I talk to all the coaches, [but] I talk to coach [Kerry] Coombs the most even though he's a defensive backs coach.”
SIDELINED FOR THE SEASON
One of Ohio State's top targets from the Class of 2018, Westerville five-star running back Jaelen Gill, is expected to miss the remainder of his junior season after fracturing his fibula on Friday night. He was injured in the first half of the Wildcats' 23-6 loss at Gahanna.
Thank you all for the support! If you know me, then you know I'll be back better than before!!
— Squizzy Squirt (@jaelengill21) September 3, 2016
“We still have a season to play, but it's a real tough kid to replace,” coach Kyle Stout told the Westerville News and Public Opinion. “Your heart hurts for him You know the time that he puts in year-round. He's a junior captain for us. It always hurts when something happens to a player like that. It's not a good situation.”
The 6-foot-1, 182-pound Gill is considered the second best all-purpose running back and second-best player overall in the state of Ohio. He rushed for 1,553 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 224 yards and three scores during his sophomore campaign, a season in which he was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state.
Gill has racked up nearly two dozen scholarship offers from schools like Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC and Virginia Tech, and had planned on making a decision prior to the start of his senior season.
DAILY SHAUN WADE UPDATE
We mentioned in Friday's edition of The Hurry Up that five-star cornerback commit Shaun Wade was set to visit Florida with his parents in an unofficial capacity this past weekend. He previously dismissed any real interest in the Gators, but told SEC Country his parents liked the atmosphere.
5-star CB Shaun Wade visits Florida with his parents https://t.co/mlcpPAheWI
— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) September 4, 2016
“They've never seen anything like this on the first game of the season,” Wade said. “They've never been to a Florida game [together]. My mom has, but this is my dad's first time coming up here.”
Wade, who plays his prep ball at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, added that Florida is rather thin at the cornerback position.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “That means I can get on the field right away if I work hard and do what I got to do.”
The 6-foot-1, 177-pounder was set to take two trips to Columbus this fall — when Ohio State hosts Indiana and Michigan — but said he'll likely be in Gainesville on Oct. 8 instead. He is also set to visit Alabama and Notre Dame later this fall.
