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.
PARTICIPATION TROPHY
It was no surprise when Detroit Cass Tech five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones committed to Michigan last night over finalists Florida, Florida State, Michigan State and Ohio State. And though it doesn't mean much now, Ohio State certainly made things interesting late in the process.
The 6-foot-2, 193-pounder told Josh Newkirk of The Michigan Insider he was seriously considering playing for the Buckeyes following an in-home visit from head coach Urban Meyer, quarterbacks coach Tim Beck and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs during a snowstorm on Sunday night.
He also said former teammate and current Ohio State running back Mike Weber was recruiting him pretty hard.
DPJ says OSU did stop by for in-home on Sunday. He says Mike Weber had him thinking hard at OSU.
— Josh Newkirk (@JoshNewkirk7) December 16, 2016
But in the end, second place is the first place loser.
"I was raised here [in Michigan]. Most of my family is here and for them to be able to support me [is great]," Peoples-Jones said. "It’s not even that. I really feel very comfortable in Ann Arbor and I can't wait to start my legacy at the University of Michigan."
I guess Ohio State will just have to settle on landing commitments from two of the top six wideouts in the country...
MOVING ON
So where Ohio State go from here?
No matter how close the Buckeyes were to landing Peoples-Jones, their focus — in my opinion — should have been on Cleveland Heights four-star wide receiver Jaylen Harris.
Don't make the mistake of going somewhere else other OSU... you know where you want to be bro!
— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) December 16, 2016
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY https://t.co/HYqjUIyC5I
Harris isn't the top-rated player at the position in the entire country, but he's the top player at his position in the state. That still means something, even with Ohio State's increased presence in the national recruiting scene.
If the 6-foot-5, 210-pounder wasn't so apathetic toward the entire recruiting process, he'd likely be viewed as a priority target instead of the fallback option some portray him to be. Harris narrowed down his list of 20 offers to five in July — Alabama, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee — but has been in no hurry to make a decision.
Harris has repeatedly said Ohio State would make room for him in the class if he wanted to play in Columbus, but limited scholarship numbers have kept him idle. With the numbers becoming clearer by the day, expect Harris to make a decision sooner rather than later.
SO MANY OPTIONS
Laurinburg, North Carolina, Scotland County five-star running back Zamir White plans to narrow down his list of more that two dozen scholarship offers soon, and I fully expect Ohio State to make the cut.
I've decided too make my decision June 27th on my mothers birthday... Top 4 coming soon!
— Zeus34 (@zeus1_34) December 16, 2016
White is considered the top-rated running back and the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2018. He holds offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee, but has spoken highly of Ohio State since his first trip to campus in June.
White attended his first game in Columbus in early November, where he spent significant time with running backs coach Tony Alford.
“We have a great relationship and we talk every day,” White told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder was recently named North Carolina's Gatorade Player of the Year after rushing for 1,774 yards and 26 touchdowns to lead the Fighting Scots to the state semifinals while maintaining a 3.17 grade point average.
White also plans to announce his final decision on June 27, 2017 — his mother's birthday.
Ohio State already holds a commitment from four-star junior running back Brian Snead and is in pursuit of five-stars Lorenzo Lingard and Jaelen Gill. But White will certainly factor into their respective recruitments.
THE RICH GET RICHER
Chicago, Illinois, Mount Carmel four-star offensive tackle target Verdis Brown recently announced on Twitter he will transfer to IMG Academy for his senior season.
A New Chapter pic.twitter.com/Crjxe6WbEr
— Verdisbrown77 (@verdisbrown) December 15, 2016
The 6-foot-3, 294-pounder is considered the top-rated player in the state and the No. 8 offensive tackle in the Class of 2018. He currently holds double-digit scholarship offers from programs such as Florida State, LSU, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
Brown took an unofficial visit to Columbus last month for the Nov. 26 win over Michigan and spent significant time with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and fellow Chicagoan Jamarco Jones.
