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.
BACKYARD BRAWL
Dayton Dunbar three-star running back Tavion Thomas is arguably the hottest recruit in the state right now, seeing as Alabama, Georgia and Nebraska have each offered him a scholarship within the last 24 hours.
Not to be overshadowed by the new-found attention, however, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer also reached out to him last night.
“It was really a good, short conversation,” Thomas told Eleven Warriors. “He just can't wait to see me this weekend.”
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Thomas will be on campus on Sunday, at which time it's likely he'll receive an offer from the Buckeyes — Nick Saban kind of forced Meyer's hand in that respect. But even though he understands how few recruits get to talk to both coaches on the same day, Thomas remains humble.
“I'm very blessed and I wish I could tell you [why my recruitment is taking off],” he said. “It really came out of nowhere.”
If Ohio State does offer Thomas, don't expect him to commit on the spot. He said he won't make a decision until his senior year.
I'D SHED A TEAR, TOO
Ohio State offered a scholarship on Friday morning to Independence, Missouri, William Chrisman three-star defensive end Daniel Carson.
Blessed to say that I received my 10th offer from the University of Ohio State. #GOBUCKEYES @DemetricDWarren pic.twitter.com/7vnx6VI5B8
— Daniel Carson (@sports__finest) February 17, 2017
“I found out [defensive line coach] Larry Johnson talked to my coach and he wanted it to be a surprise,” Carson told Eleven Warriors. “So my coach called me down and I talked to him and he put THE Urban Meyer on the phone! It was so crazy. I was so emotional. But it was great. Urban Meyer offered me and it was just so amazing.”
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Carson is considered the 18th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 558 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds double-digit offers from programs such as Georgia, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
“Keeping God first and not being complacent gets you somewhere,” Carson said. “I will never stop grinding. This made me go up another level.”
Carson recorded 56 tackles, 13 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries last year to help lead the Bears to their first winning season since 1981 and first conference title since 1963.
CATHOLICS VS CHESTNUTS
Since he was unable to attend Ohio State's Junior Day last month, Toledo St. John's Jesuit four-star linebacker Dallas Gant told Eleven Warriors he'll be on campus on Monday.
"Just looking forward to talking with and seeing the coaches once again," Gant said.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Gant is considered the fifth-best outside linebacker and No. 116 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. Though he has more than 20 offers, most prognosticators believe it's a two-horse race between Ohio State and Notre Dame — Gant was just in South Bend last weekend for the Fighting Irish's Junior Day.
This will mark the first time Gant will meet with Ohio State linebackers coach Bill Davis, who was hired in December to replace the departed Luke Fickell.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Lake Zurich, Illinois, three-star linebacker Jack Sanborn was set to make his first visit to Ohio State on Friday afternoon, but he had to cancel the trip at the last minute due to family reasons.
“Something came up, but I will make it in the future sometime,” Sanborn told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Sanborn is considered the 11th-best inside linebacker and No. 370 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Duke, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Syracuse and Wisconsin.
