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.
GETTING ACQUAINTED
With options at receiver growing smaller by the day, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson stopped in Kemp, Texas, on Wednesday morning to meet with Missouri three-star commit Elijah Gardiner.
Great visit with some great coaches. @OhioStAthletics pic.twitter.com/4rlogSaG7X
— Eli (@elijahgardiner) January 25, 2017
The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Gardiner is considered the 170th-best receiver and the No. 1,200 prospect overall, but his size and speed make for an intriguing combination. He not only recorded 542 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season, but was also a state qualifier as a junior in the long jump and as the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay.
Gardiner was recently offered a scholarship by Texas and is set to take an official visit to Austin this weekend. But if Ohio State put an offer on the table today, Gardiner could easily change those plans and become a realistic option to join the class.
LEFT TO WONDER
As its search for a third receiver continues, Ohio State extended an offer this afternoon to Pensacola, Florida, West Florida Tech Damond Johnson.
Beyond Blessed to receive a Scholarship from Ohio State! pic.twitter.com/aUPt4Cc8YH
— Damond (@damond_123) January 25, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Johnson is considered the 196th-best wideout and No. 1,369 prospect overall, but was named first-team all-state as a senior after he recorded 710 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Jaguars. He committed to Duke in February over offers from South Florida and Tulane.
At this point, though, you have to wonder why the staff isn't giving more attention to uncommitted in-state prospects like Springfield four-star Danny Davis or Bedford three-star Trent Cloud instead.
SORRY ED
Ohio State's Junior Day is a bit of a misnomer, as a number of sophomores are also expected to attend Saturday's event. Among them, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Edina Senior offensive tackle Quinn Carroll.
“I can't wait to visit,” Carroll told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Carroll is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Arkansas, Iowa, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee, UCLA and Wisconsin. His father, Jay, played tight end for the Golden Gophers in the early 1980s.
“He scored three touchdowns against Ohio State in 1981,” Carroll said. “Needless to say, our family has a long-standing connection with Ohio State and a ton of respect for their program. Obviously, I'm very serious about Ohio State. Ohio State's tradition is second to none, and [an offer] would be a game-changer in my decision-making process.”
HOPING FOR AN OFFER
Indianapolis, Indiana, North Central three-star cornerback Donald “D.J.” Johnson will also be in attendance on Saturday, marking his first trip to Columbus since an unofficial visit in October.
“I can't wait to get back up there,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder is considered the fifth-best player in the state and the No. 48 cornerback overall in the Class of 2018. Johnson holds offers from Ball State and Bowling Green, but said programs like Illinois, Louisville and Syracuse have reached out since he competed in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Combine earlier this month.
“I did really well down there. I made first-team all-combine,” Johnson said. “It was a great experience to go down there and see what the competition was like around the country.”
