The Hurry Up: Five-Star Defensive End Includes Ohio State Among Top Schools While Cincinnati Defensive Tackle Talks Upcoming Decision

By Andrew Lind on May 28, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Micah Parsons
Micah Parsons
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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.

NARROWING THINGS DOWN ONCE AGAIN

A little over a month after he decommitted from Penn State, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, five-star defensive end Micah Parsons included Ohio State in his Top 9 alongside Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State. And before you comment, he corrected his mistake in a follow-up tweet.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Parsons is considered the top-rated weak-side defensive end and No. 3 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he's tallied 190 tackles, 47 tackles for a loss and 32 sacks through his first two high school seasons. He backed off his pledge to the Nittany Lions just one week after an unofficial trip to Columbus for the Buckeyes' Spring Game, his fourth visit in a matter of six months.

Parsons has kept a low profile since opening things back up, but Ohio State has become the overwhelming favorite as a result of those visits. He's close with four-star running back commit Jaelen Gill, who told Eleven Warriors he's taken it upon himself to make sure Parsons ends up with the Buckeyes.

“[I'm] on him every day. Just putting it in his head, 'You're gonna be a Buckeye,'” Gill said. “I'm real confident we'll get him to flip. I mean, he named his dog Brutus...”

Gill and at least five other Ohio State commits will participate in Nike Football's The Opening Finals in Oregon next month. You can bet they'll be in Parsons' ear the whole time, though all signs point toward a final announcement at the U.S. Army All-American Game or on National Signing Day.

BUCKEYES OR BEARCATS?

Though Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller four-star defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins included Ohio State in his Top 7 last weekend alongside Alabama, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Penn State, Pittsburgh and USC, we won't have to wait much longer to find out where he'll play his college ball.

“I've seen all of them now and seen all sides of the school,” Hawkins told Eleven Warriors. “I pretty much know where I'm heading.”

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Hawkins — the top-rated defensive tackle in the state and No. 267 prospect overall in the Class of 2018 — is working with his uncle, New England Patriots wide receiver Andrew Hawkins, on commitment video he'll share in either late June or early July. Out of respect for his decision, I asked Hawkins for the reason(s) why he chose the school he did — without giving anything away, of course.

“Throughout the entire process, I wanted to go somewhere I felt like I could maximize all of my goals, from the field, the community and the classroom,” he said. “I needed a coaching staff who saw eye to eye with my goals, but more importantly, a staff that would take those goals to heart and push me toward them. A lot of places are focused on winning and winning only. I understand that, but I also understand that more than likely, I won't be playing football much longer. I need to develop as a man [and] the place I've picked is going to help me do that.”

Hawkins has been to Columbus numerous times over the last year, most recently for the Spring Game in mid-April. He's always spoken highly of defensive line coach Larry Johnson, and the two talked about where he fit into the class during his visit last month.

The hometown pitch from Cincinnati — as well as the fact that his father, Artrell, played for the Bearcats — is probably the biggest threat to Ohio State's chances. But if the staff views him as a priority, I think he'll choose the Buckeyes.

COMING OUT OF NOWHERE

Just two weeks after he earned an offer from Ohio State, Blairstown, New Jersey, Blair Academy three-star defensive end Jayson Oweh included the Buckeyes in his Top 10 alongside Georgia Tech, Harvard, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Oweh is considered the 14th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 391 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, though he's only played one year of organized football. He recorded 42 tackles, seven sacks and five tackles for a loss for the Bucs last season.

Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and the above-mentioned Johnson have taken the lead in Oweh's recruitment, and offered him a scholarship after watching him practice earlier this month. He called it “one of the best accomplishments I've had.”

Oweh's stock has risen significantly following his performance at The Opening New Jersey Regional last month, as he was named the event's most valuable defensive lineman after posting a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 4.57-second shuttle, a 44.5 feet power ball throw and a 34.9-inch vertical leap. He plans to visit Columbus for the first time this summer and then return for a game this fall.

BEACHIN'

Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith has seemingly been on vacation in South Florida all spring, handing out offers left and right to some of the Sunshine State's top underclassmen. One of those offers recently went out to Fort Lauderdale Dillard defensive end Braylen Ingraham.

“I was really honored that they believe I can play on their level,” Ingraham told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Ingraham is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but has looked every bit the part of a top-rated prospect in the Class of 2019 at Nike and Under Armour camps this spring.

He, too, has seen his recruitment take off in recent weeks, and now holds offers from nearly 20 programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Ingraham has yet to take any visits, but hopes to make his first trip to Columbus this summer.

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