Welcome to The Hurry-Up, which runs Sunday through Thursday, serving as your last stop for recruiting news and notes nightly. We'll recap the day as it happened and preview the days ahead while keeping our ear to the ground on the Ohio State recruiting scene.
NORWOOD'S IMPACT ON THE ELITE '15
Late last night, Ohio State added commitment number 20 in their 2015 recruiting class when Valdosta, Georgia's Josh Norwood went Scarlet and Gray. The commitment will no doubt change a few things about the Buckeye approach from here until February.
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Another defensive back? Really? Isn't that overkill? What about Roundtree? Garrett Taylor?
- Right now, in 2015, Ohio State has pledges from these players who will likely be defensive backs in college, at least to start: Eric Glover-Williams, Denzel Ward, Tyler Green, Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean and now Norwood. It's my belief that Davis will not end up at Ohio State. EGW and Ward could potentially play offense, and Dean, Green are safeties, as would be Roundtree/Taylor. If Rashad Roundtree picks Ohio State on Friday, you may be able to write off the idea that Garrett Taylor finds room in Columbus. For that matter, as a Georgia kid without an offer from the Bulldogs or Yellow Jackets (yet) it will be interesting to see how Norwood's commitment plays out. You just never know these days.
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Tell me who Josh Norwood is? Why would they offer another three-star cornerback? STARS!!
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Norwood is a player, who like many kids around the country, decided not to spend his time and money going to this camp or that camp during his summers. That decision, as you may or may not know, often leads to prospects being undervalued by scouting agencies. Sometimes that's a political move and sometimes it's because simply put, you can't evaluate someone you don't see. Beyond that, Norwood is a fast, physical cornerback who has been productive (10 interceptions this season) and lights out as a senior. Ohio State doesn't offer many players based solely on tape, but Norwood became a favorite of a number of people on the coaching staff and as they got to know him more he became a player they felt would make a big impact at Ohio State.
Bottom line: If Ohio State, and Urban Meyer, accept a commitment from any player, anywhere, you can and should throw "rankings" out the window. As I've said previously, there's no such thing as a handout, feel-good scholarship offer from this Ohio State staff.
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Norwood is a player, who like many kids around the country, decided not to spend his time and money going to this camp or that camp during his summers. That decision, as you may or may not know, often leads to prospects being undervalued by scouting agencies. Sometimes that's a political move and sometimes it's because simply put, you can't evaluate someone you don't see. Beyond that, Norwood is a fast, physical cornerback who has been productive (10 interceptions this season) and lights out as a senior. Ohio State doesn't offer many players based solely on tape, but Norwood became a favorite of a number of people on the coaching staff and as they got to know him more he became a player they felt would make a big impact at Ohio State.
ROUNDTREE NEXT?
Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. will be D-Day for Lakeside (Evans, Georgia) High School's Rashad Roundtree.
I will be making my Verbal announcement Friday Nov. 7 at 9:00 am via Twitter
— They call me Tree (@Rashad_Tr33) November 4, 2014
There is no real concrete evidence about what Roundtree is thinking, which way he is leaning, but on the heels of his Ohio State official visit, the scuttlebutt down south is that right now the Buckeyes are moving into the lead position. A decision on Friday in Ohio State's favor is, from what I'm told, as likely as any other outcome. The challenge, as is becoming more and more common, is to keep him in the class until signing day. Roundtree is likely to still take visits after his decision Friday.
Why make a choice Friday if you know A.) you're a player every school will wait for and B.) you're not 100-percent sold on that choice? Your guess is as good as mine. From Ohio State's perspective, the Buckeyes feel confident they've put themselves in a great position with Roundtree and we're about 36 hours from knowing for sure. The timing of the visit, right after a trip to Columbus, and the circumstance (announcing on Twitter as opposed to a press conference at his school) are two items in Ohio State's favor as I see it.
BURRELL DECISION NEXT WEEK?
The rollercoaster that is the recruitment of Matt Burrell, continues. Last Thursday, the rumor mill told us that Burrell was announcing that day. Then it was the next day, on Friday. After no decision came Friday, the "it will happen next week" chimes began. Now, two days before the weekend, Burrell is getting ready to take his fifth and final official visit — to LSU on Saturday — and no decision has been made, again.
I talked to one source inside of the WHAC and got their feel on where things stand right now. Nothing will surprise you, but it's what's what right now.
"We think we're still ok with Burrell," the source said. "He's really hard to read though. We love the kid, and he knows the guys here really well and we've recruited him longer than anyone else. We've been there from the start and our staff isn't going anywhere, so these are the people he'll get to deal with for his career. I kind of expect him to make a decision next week."
