The Hurry Up: Ohio State Commits Team Up at The Opening While Top Virginia Defensive End Sets Unofficial Visit

By Andrew Lind on June 20, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Brandon Smith
Brandon Smith
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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.

OFF TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Eight Ohio State commits will head to Oregon next week for Nike Football's The Opening Finals, and interestingly enough, they'll all be on Team Vapor Speed. The roster is loaded beyond that, too, with the following commits and targets lining up beside one another:

If that's not a team primed to take home the 7-versus-7 championship, I don't know what is. Part of the event — which takes place June 28 through July 3 at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton — will be televised on ESPNU. You can bet Team Vapor Speed will certainly get its fair share of airtime.

THREE-STRIPE LIFE

Woodbey, who has been the topic of much conversation in recent weeks, was back on Twitter this weekend. But only temporarily, as he announced he'll join the aforementioned Gill and Jones in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio in early January 2018.

Woodbey previously announced his commitment to the Under Armour All-America Game but has seemingly taken a liking to Adidas — the sponsor of the Army Bowl — in recent weeks. The Buckeyes had nine pledges play in the game earlier this year, and it looks as if the program is well on its way to being among the most represented this winter, as well.

ALL-TIME GREAT NICKNAME

Ohio State handed out several offers following its three one-day camps this month, one of which went to Christian Academy of Louisville four-star athlete Milton Wright. He attended the June 9 camp and was among the most impressive prospects in attendance.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Wright is considered the sixth-best athlete and No. 88 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 46 receptions for 832 yards and 17 touchdowns and recorded 53 tackles and five interceptions to help the Centurions to the state championship last season. He also scored on four punt, three interception and two kick returns.

“Being at Ohio State was amazing, and it was really cool to receive individual coaching from coach [Urban] Meyer,” Wright told Scout.com after the camp. “It's not something I expected, and I really liked it. It was only something you do once in a lifetime.

“Getting an offer from Ohio State would be incredible, and would move them into the top-five on my list," he continued. "Coach Meyer said it's like the dating process, where he wants to know more about me and my family, and where I want to go in my future.”

Wright also holds offers from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Purdue.

LET'S ADD HIM TO THE LIST

Mineral, Virginia, Louisa County four-star defensive end Brandon Smith told Eleven Warriors he'll make an unofficial visit to Ohio State this Saturday, June 24.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Smith is considered the eighth-best weak-side defensive end and No. 109 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 40 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and two sacks to garner first-team all-conference honors. He holds double-digit offers from programs such as Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech, and I expect Ohio State to follow through this weekend.

Linebackers coach Bill Davis stopped by to watch Smith practice during the spring evaluation period, and the two have maintained contact since. He has a number of connections to the Buckeyes, as his basketball coach, Robert Shelton, played in Columbus under Randy Ayers and his dad played football with Eddie George at Fork Union Military Academy.

"That would be awesome if it does happen," Smith said. "[It] would be a special offer for me."

A DISTANT MEMORY

When Dayton Dunbar three-star running back Tavion Thomas burst onto the recruiting scene back in February, it seemed like only a matter of time before he committed to Ohio State.

Never mind the fact that the Buckeyes already held a commitment from the above-mentioned Gill and Florida four-star Brian Snead, the narrative attached was that the staff couldn't afford to let another powerhouse school come into their back yard and steal away a prospect of Thomas' caliber.

The two sides drifted apart in the meantime, and the staff shifted all their focus to North Carolina five-star running back Zamir White and Tennessee three-star running back Master Teague III — with the latter committing to Ohio State just over a week ago. Thomas, meanwhile, did not include the Buckeyes in his Top 7 earlier this month, and on Tuesday afternoon committed to Oklahoma.

Thomas has previously said he's a package deal with his teammate, four-star wide receiver Joseph “JoJo” Scates, who also included the Sooners in his Top 6 earlier this month. His grades were reportedly one of the top reasons the staff did not go all-out for his pledge, so it'll be interesting to see if this sticks. Not to mention, Thomas has never been to Norman.

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