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.
LEADING THE PACK
It's been said that Grand Prairie, Texas, cornerback Jeffrey Okudah silently committed to Ohio State back in May and reaffirmed his pledge shortly after watching the Buckeyes knock off Oklahoma. The five-star cornerback has yet to announce anything publicly, though, and continues to have an open dialogue with the programs recruiting him.
My back's against the wall, now you gone see pic.twitter.com/QqSn1HUUrR
— Jeffrey Okudah III (@TheJeffOkudah) October 7, 2016
“Not yet, but it's in the works,” Okudah told 247Sports ($) when asked about making his college decision. “Potentially [at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl].”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder is considered the top-rated cornerback and the No. 6 overall prospect in the Class of 2017. He holds more than 30 scholarship offers, but narrowed down his top choices to Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC in early July.
“I'm going to sit down with my family this week sometime and talk about my next official visit,” Okudah said. “I'm looking at Florida State possibly, and just go from there. I'm trying to knock them out one at a time …I might not take all five. I'll be taking one to Ohio State for sure. But besides that, that's the only one I know for sure.”
5-Star CB Jeffrey Okudah believes in Charles Kelly, excited about upcoming official visit to FSU (VIP)https://t.co/Pne0VkJISy pic.twitter.com/YNYYrKez7q
— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) October 5, 2016
Okudah added that the Buckeyes are the team to beat.
“Oh, they're still leading just because they continue to recruit me and my whole family, as well as everyone around me,” he said. “ It's almost like — just being around them — you can tell they genuinely care about their players. I'm not saying the other schools don't either, but I'd say I have a better feel of it.
"All the way from coach [Urban] Meyer, it's a trickle-down effect," he continued. "You can really tell. You can just feel it. You can tell when somebody is feeding you, I guess, some jive or something. They keep it real there. They tell you straightforward. They're not going to give you nothing from day one, so that intrigued me because that's how I was raised [to] never look for a handout.”
WILL THE BELL STRIKE TWELVE?
When Ohio State extended an offer to Bridgeton, New Jersey, athlete Markquese Bell in July, many considered him a backup plan to Okudah. And while the Buckeyes seemingly do not have room for the 6-foot-3, 194-pounder, Bell has quietly become a favorite of one Ohio State assistant.
“[Greg] Schiano loves him,” said a source close to Landof10's Jeremy Birmingham. “He could be like a [former linebacker] Darron Lee. Just a raw athlete who comes in looking like a defensive back, but who may be better suited at linebacker if he grows. You just never know.”
Bell included Ohio State in his Top 7 schools in August alongside Clemson, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Rutgers and Temple. He's set to take official visits to Columbus when the Buckeyes host the Wolverines on Nov. 26.
WARRIOR INVASION
We mentioned in Wednesday's edition of The Hurry Up that Cincinnati Winton Woods' freshman cornerback Mi'Quan Grace is set to take an unofficial visit to Ohio State for this weekend's game against Indiana. He won't be the only Warrior in attendance, as teammates Jerron Cage and Christopher Oats will also make the trip.
Though he's been committed to Ohio State since July 2015, there's been a lot of speculation about Cage's interest in Notre Dame. His brother, Daniel, is a starting defensive tackle for the Fighting Irish.
“I have a lot of love for Notre Dame, not just because of Daniel, but because I like the environment as a whole,” Cage told Cleveland.com. “But for my personal feelings, I think I'm going to stay at Ohio State. I'm a Buckeye. I committed early for a reason. If I felt like I needed to switch, I would have done it by now.”
Cage is considered the eighth-best player in the state and the No. 12 overall defensive tackle in the Class of 2017. He is one of two pledges at that position in the current recruiting cycle, joining Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman's Haskell Garrett.
In a piece on Cincinnati.com that I suggest you take the time to read, Cage talks about his relationship with his older brother.
“We have a really, really close relationship,” he said. “I will never forget this. He came up here for I think two-a-days last year and we were doing one-on-one [first-team offense against first-team defense] and no one could block me.
“Daniel came out and he taught me how to do the swim move, and I did it on him, but I accidentally elbowed him in the jaw. He got mad and said, 'Let's go again,' and I was like, 'Nah. I'm good. You're bigger than me and I'm not trying to do that.”
It's what his coach, Andre Parker, had to say that sticks out the most, however.
“I've never had to worry about him,” Parker said. “I know he's gonna show up and play. We've had guys who are big recruits and have gotten a lot of attention. We've never had a kid who was so unselfish, and I may never have one again.”
Oats, meanwhile, is considered the ninth-best player in the state and the No. 12 outside linebacker in the Class of 2018. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder currently holds scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State and Oklahoma.
Oats was set to visit Ohio State for the game against Tulsa, but called off the trip because of inclement weather. He also planned on traveling to Oklahoma for the Buckeyes' 45-24 win, but Winton Woods' schedule did not allow for that to happen.
Nevertheless, Ohio State still maintains the lead in his recruitment.
“Ohio State is still No. 1,” Oats told Eleven Warriors. “Oklahoma is No. 2, and Michigan State [is] No. 3.”
GATEWAY TO THE WEST
St. Louis Parkway North defensive tackle Michael Thompson told Eleven Warriors he will also be on the sidelines prior to Saturday's game. Ohio State offered Thompson, the top-rated player in the state of Missouri, back in May.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder has more than 15 scholarship offers from programs such as Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
