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.
ONE VISIT IS ALL IT TOOK
One week ago tonight, Ohio State landed a surprise commitment from Orlando, Florida, Jones four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks. In his first interview since making the call, Banks talked about his relationship with defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs as one of the main factors in his decision.
“I just fell in love with the coaches and the staff and the players,” Banks told Recruitniks. “I feel like I fit in.”
Most assumed the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder would end up at Florida, following in the footsteps of his older brother Marcell Harris. But even the Gators safety wanted Banks to find the spot where he fit best.
"He's just rocking with me," Banks said.
Though he's been on the staff's radar for quite some time, a large number of Ohio State fans hadn't heard of Banks until he announced his commitment last week. So what will the Buckeyes get out of him when he steps on campus next year?
“They can expect a good person on and off the field. I'm going to be a lockdown corner [who will] get the job done,” Banks said.
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has been among the most active coaches on the recruiting trail this spring, always looking for ways to improve the Buckeyes' passing attack. So it should come as no surprise he offered a scholarship on Tuesday night to Lakeland, Florida, four-star tight end Keon Zipperer.
Blessed to receive an scholarship from Ohio State University @HamiltonESPN @CoachBahler pic.twitter.com/H44B5LXYxV
— RemainHumbleKe (@_KeonZ) May 2, 2017
The 6-foot-3, 232-pound Zipperer is considered the fifth-best tight end and No. 73 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, North Carolina and Tennessee, as he hauled in 13 receptions for 152 yards and one touchdown for the Dreadnaughts last season.
Ohio State is expected to take two tight ends in next year's recruiting class, and Wilson will likely want at least one more in 2019. It'll be hard to pull Zipperer from the South, but if the position plays a larger role in the offense, as is expected to be the case, you can bet the Buckeyes will certainly be in the running.
HE'LL CARRY IT WITH HIM
Speaking of Lakeland... Florida four-star wide receiver signee James Robinson recently opened up about his official visit to Ohio State in January, during which he was cited for possession of marijuana.
Despite there already being a negative perception about his character, the staff identified Robinson as someone who could have potentially filled Tyjon Lindsey's open spot in the 2017 recruiting class. But following the incident, Ohio State — as well as several other schools — stopped recruiting him entirely.
Robinson had reportedly made a silent commitment to Florida prior to his trip to Columbus, but he wasn't going to be able to sign with the Gators until head coach Jim McElwain convinced the school administration to let him join the football program. Of course, it would have been a lot easier had Robinson just stayed out of trouble in the first place.
"Just my appearance and how I was looked at, people always thought I was a bad kid," Robinson told SEC Country. "When I got in trouble, people were like, 'I told you so.' I’ll always regret that."
SHOOT YOUR SHOT
Ohio State has only signed one player from the state of Arkansas in its history — wide receiver K.J. Hill in 2015. But if Hampton dual-threat sophomore quarterback Terry Lambert shines at the Buckeyes' one-day positional camp this summer, he may very well become the second by committing on the spot.
“Coach Ed Terwilliger says that he cannot wait to meet up with me,” Lambert told Eleven Warriors. “[He] talks about my speed as much as my play. Many coaches tell me that my type of speed and accelerations is something that is very rare and uncommon to find.”
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Lambert, like most prospects from the Class of 2019, is not yet rated by any major recruiting sites. Even so, programs such as Alabama, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington have all started to show interest in recent months.
With the quarterback position at Ohio State locked down for the foreseeable future, Lambert might be better suited at H-Back. But, then again, he's confident that he could bring four consecutive national titles to Columbus if given a shot.
