The Hurry-Up: Breaking Down Torrance Gibson's Commitment

GIBSON'S COMMITMENT ADDS STAR POWER

After nearly two years of pursuing Torrance Gibson, Urban Meyer has landed the four-star, third-ranked athlete in the country. In case you weren't paying attention, Gibson committed to Ohio State today following his US Army All-American Bowl jersey presentation this afternoon. The verbal pledge gives the Buckeyes 19 (again) commitments and adds a big-name talent to a class that has — up until this point — lacked that sort of cachet on the offensive side of things. A consensus Top 50 player nationally, Gibson's reputation among the country's elite players may be one of the only things greater than his potential on the field.

"Gibson is a freak," one nationally-ranked wide receiver with interest in the Buckeyes told Eleven Warriors. "He's legit and can do anything he wants on the field. He's a really cool guy away from it, too. He's always clowning around and trying to keep people in a good mood, at least that's what I've seen of him. I wonder if it will help them with Damien Harris, because I know they talked a while back. The top guys want to play on the same field as the top guys, you know?"

Gibson knows. He says he has plans to start to recruiting a number of key players to finish out the "Elite '15" – but doesn't want to name them yet. There's no need to pressure his peers, they've been through enough of that already.

"There are definitely a couple players I am going to be hitting up, that I want to join us at Ohio State," Gibson told 11W. "I've been talking to Cager, Burrell and Damien Harris, and I won't be all over people about, but they'll know."

HOW IT IMPACTS THE QUARTERBACK POSITION

When Joe Burrow committed to Ohio State, Torrance Gibson dropped the Buckeyes down his list in favor of schools that had no quarterback committed. Now, months later, Gibson is in the class and the Buckeyes have been clear: he'll get his chance to compete for a spot: at quarterback or anywhere else. 

Conversations with Ohio State about their quarterback situation over the last few months have revealed a couple of key items, but the first among those is that Burrow is not, and never has been, a placeholder. The coaching staff in Columbus is very fond of Joe, both his personality and his game. 

"It's ridiculous (how overlooked Burrow is). He's the most dominant player in Ohio," a source at Ohio State told us in mid-September. "He would be in any division of competition. It's not his fault he plays at Athens High School. I love him. He's a totally different player than he was 18 months ago. He's a no-brainer 'take' at Ohio State."

I've talked to Joe Burrow regarding the possibility of Gibson being added to the class at Ohio State, as has the coaching staff, and he's always said the right things. He's made no hints or declarations that adding Gibson or anyone else would have him questioning his place with the Buckeyes. In fact, from what I know of Burrow, he's welcoming the challenge. If, at some point, he decides to open up his recruitment again, that will a decision he and his family make on their own. The Buckeyes want Burrow in Columbus.

MATURATION HAS BEEN KEY

Ohio State and Torrance Gibson have been linked for a while now, so while his commitment today was no surprise, it shouldn't be thought of as being easy. There were ebbs and flows, ups and downs and times when he and the Buckeyes didn't talk at all. 

"I guess you can say we lost communication there for a while, but that's all behind us," Gibson shared with 11W in August. It was not as much of a loss in communication as a stopping of communication, at least according to one South Florida source.

"I know things were kind of 'lost' there for a while with the Buckeyes and Torrance," the source, a high school coach in the Fort Lauderdale area said. "They felt like he was not making great decisions and wasn't doing the things he needed to do in order to be a player they felt they could count on. It was a great move by (Meyer) and his staff. Do you notice how much different he's been since he visited there in July? It's night and day, really. Ohio State was where he wanted to be, and he almost lost that chance."

A calculated risk by the Buckeyes? It appears to have worked.

"It impacted (Torrance) a lot," the coach continued. "He's been, for the most part, a totally different kid since July. There's always going to be challenges because he's had a tough life, but Ohio State was clear with him: do the right things or we'll move on. I think it was the first time in his life he realized that just because you can run, or jump, or throw a ball you weren't automatically given a free pass in life."

THE FIGHT TO FEBRUARY

The drama in the first half of his recruitment has led many assume the Buckeyes are in for a fight to hold onto his commitment and turn it into a signature come February. Yes, Ohio State has always found itself in the thick of things for Gibson, but as the saying goes "a commitment just means you know who you have to beat," and now everyone knows the Buckeyes are the competition.

"Today went like we thought it was going to," a source inside the WHAC said. "We also know the next few months will be more work to make it stick. We feel good though, it's not like some passing fancy with TG and Ohio State. We've put in time and energy and will continue to do so. We believe he's a special, difference-maker type of player."

For his part, Gibson isn't sure what is next. He originally planned a late-in-the-process decision, but changed it to October 20th following his first Buckeyes' visit in July; a slight delay pushed it back two weeks until today. He originally planned on taking all five official visits, and up to this point he's taken one. Will he take more? That's the question.

"I'm not sure if I'd take any other visits at this point," Gibson said. "I know I'd like to get back to Columbus soon though."

A video production company who you can follow on Twitter, produced this video highlighting today's events.