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.
BIG-TIME VISITOR
Bellflower, California, St. John Bosco five-star offensive guard Wyatt Davis is set to take his first visit to Ohio State since committing in June.
“I’ll be there against Northwestern,” Davis told Land of 10. “I’m going with my mom and dad.”
The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is considered the top offensive guard and the No. 15 player overall in the Class of 2017.
He is one of three offensive lineman to have pledged to the Buckeyes for this cycle alongside Miamisburg's Josh Myers and Arvada, Colorado, Pomona's Jake Moretti.
It remains to be seen if Davis will bring teammate Jaiden Woodbey, the third-best safety in the Class of 2018, with him. Woodbey has previously attempted to unofficial visit Ohio State several times, most recently hoping to catch a ride with Davis to Friday Night Lights in July.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder has a rather impressive list of scholarship offers from 18 of the top schools in the country, including Alabama, Arizona, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, USC and Washington.
Woodbey plans to release a Top 10 when the Braves' season ends in December, and I'm confident that Ohio State will be included. Woodbey attends every USC home game — his father played for the Trojans — so getting him on campus at every opportunity will be key for the Buckeyes.
ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?
While it makes sense for a school to host its top recruiting targets for the biggest game on the schedule, that plan sometimes backfires. We saw it a few weeks ago, when Ohio State and Oklahoma target Jeffrey Okudah had a front row seat to the Buckeyes' 45-24 throttling of the Sooners.
We'll see it again this weekend, though on a much smaller scale, as Wisconsin is set to host a slew of talent from Detroit, Michigan, Cass Tech. That includes Ohio State targets 2017 four-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell, 2018 four-star athlete Kalon Gervin, 2018 four-star safety DeAndre Square, 2018 three-star safety Reggie Pearson Jr., 2019 running back Jaren Mangham and 2019 cornerback Xavier Goldsmith. Kelly-Powell is the only Cass Tech prospect with an Ohio State offer, while Pearson Jr. is a Wisconsin commit.
"I'm very excited," Mangham told Eleven Warriors. "I'm expecting a good game. Both teams are in the Top 10. Ohio State has been dominant, but Wisconsin has been playing great this year."
He and Goldsmith were at Ohio State's season-opening win over Bowling Green, at which time they said defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs had already taken an active role in their recruitment.
"I had a great time at Ohio State," Mangham said. "I like the environment. Everyone was so nice. They were all so positive [and] everyone was so supportive for their team. It was awesome."
To which Goldsmith added, "I was happy I got to see coach Coombs again. We both have a great relationship. He's a great person with a lot of energy. Our relationship means a lot."
That bond likely won't be enough for Ohio State to land Kelly-Powell, though. The 6-foot, 175-pounder has taken several visits to Columbus over the last few years, but Ohio State isn't on the docket for an official.
“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 admits he's seen everything about Ohio State that he needs to make a decision, but Michigan is considered overwhelming favorite to land the fourth-best player in the state. Quite frankly, it's hard to see a situation where he ultimately picks the Buckeyes.
SOONER THAN EXPECTED?
Ohio State quarterback commit Emory Jones suffered a low-grade AC separation in the first quarter of Franklin, Georgia, Heard County's 24-14 loss to Callaway last night.
"He's resting," Heard County Recruiting Coordinator Chuck Sykes told Eleven Warriors. "[With] no contact, [he] should be back by Thursday next week."
Typically, this type of injury only requires wearing a sling for a few days until the pain subsides. Surgery is rarely needed and only performed in severe cases.
That said, if Jones is unable to play in next week's game, sophomore quarterback Alijah Huzzie will start for the Braves.
"He stepped in last night and did well with minimum reps in practice," Sykes said.
HO-HUM, ANOTHER FIVE-STAR SHOWS INTEREST
Though Ohio State already has a commitment from one of the top running backs in Florida in Armwood's Brian Snead, it is currently among the favorites to land another from the Class of 2018. Orange City's Lorenzo Lingard, the second-best running back in the country, said as much in an interview with 247Sports.
What is 2018 5* RB @d1champ99 saying about the Bucks? He talks recruiting with @Keith247Sports.#GoBucks https://t.co/wbQsYhFR0n
— Buckeye Sports Radio (@BuckeyesRadio) October 12, 2016
"Ohio State stands out really well to me," Lingard said. "Coach Tony Alford is a great dude. He's a very good salesman. But really, it's not his sales that tell me about the school. The school speaks for itself [with] the great running backs they have, the Heisman winners and all the wins they have there.
"When I went there - I went there twice over the summer - I got a sense of the coaches and the players," he continued. "They work hard, too. It's just the method they put into the players to make them work hard and win games. That stands out to me."
The 6-foot, 180-pounder has more than 25 scholarship offers, but is most interested in Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State and Ole Miss.
"It's just getting a sense of the coaches, so [I'm in] no rush," he said. "I'd like to be committed to a school by midway through my senior year."
