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.
GRANT SCHMIDT HAS CHANGE OF PLANS
It's getting to that special time of year when a few future Buckeyes ready themselves for the next step in their life: enrolling early in college. One Buckeye commitment who had not originally planned on early enrollment, Grant Schmidt, has been working hard to do just that after all.
"I have to finish an online government class and take the SAT, basically just bust my (butt) but I think I can do it," Schmidt said about getting to Ohio State in January. "I just finished my application, it was pretty long."
As an offensive lineman in a class that could finish with five lineman, Schmidt sees the chance to enroll early as very valuable.
"I'm hoping I can get there and fight my way into the two-deep," he added. "I can't wait to get into the weight room and start taking college classes and meeting new people. I'm ready to start the next part of my life."
Schmidt will visit Ohio State this weekend in an unofficial capacity, and then return to Columbus for an official the weekend of December 13th.
BAKER, HILLIARD UP FOR HONOR
Future teammates Justin Hilliard and Jerome Baker are going head-to-head for one of the country's top prep honors. The High School Butkus Award, given to the nation's top prep linebacker, has narrowed their list of semifinalists to five finalists and both of the Ohio State commitments made the final list.
Ohio State freshman Raekwon McMillan won the award in 2013.
EDWARDS VISITING OHIO STATE?
On Monday morning, it was reported that 2015 Jacksonville safety — and former Buckeye commitment — Ben Edwards would be visiting Ohio State officially this weekend. The Buckeyes, still looking to add one more defensive back to their class, would love to see Edwards back on campus, but at this point they're not entirely sure if that's expected.
"We got a list this morning of official visitors," a source at Ohio State said. "He was not on it. But that was this morning, I guess things could have changed. We haven't been told to add him yet."
BOWEN TALK
Last night, the Buckeyes added commitment number 22 for the 2015 recruiting class, Utah lineman Branden Bowen. A three-star prospect, Bowen's size and athletic ability have the Buckeyes seeing him as a true star down the road, according to one person inside the program.
"This kid is huge, obviously," the source said. "But he's really athletic too, not some big lumbering kid at his size. He's got some work to do technique-wise, but this is not a kid that is a project by any means. He's got the right attitude and work-ethic and we think he'll be a star. He wants to be coached and that's one of the things that makes him so appealing."
Bowen, who actually committed to the Buckeyes staff two weeks ago, had been considering early enrollment but decided this past week he'll finish out his senior year in high school.
LUGS LOVES GIBSON
While the ESPN.com recruiting occasionally falls short, their top analyst, Tom Luginbill, is a fairly well-reasoned and decent fellow. He has what he calls his "Premium Prospect" board, which differs from ESPN's actual rankings. The list describes this board as being measured by these parameters:
The Premium Prospect Board is a look at the members of the Class of 2015 who offer the most immediate impact and early value potential to the college football teams they are committed to or are considering.
Luginbill has a new number one prospect on his Premium Prospect board: Ohio State commitment Torrance Gibson. Why? Here's the explanation from ESPN.
Gibson's commitment to Ohio State certainly checks that box. Gibson, who reminds us of Auburn's Nick Marshall, has the dynamic skill set Urban Meyer covets in his offensive system. It might take some time to develop as a passer in Columbus, but his athleticism makes him a difference-maker and we would not be surprised if his running skills are used in offensive packages next fall.
Missouri defensive tackle Terry Beckner, Jr. and Florida standout defensive Byron Cowart come in at number two and three on the list, respectively.
