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.
CARLTON DAVIS COMMITMENT STATUS
One of the more enigmatic commitments in the 2015 Ohio State recruiting class, Carlton Davis, took an official visit to Columbus this past weekend. The Miami safety has been commonly listed among the less-than-stable commitments throughout the country, but according to a couple different sources at Ohio State, the Buckeyes are feeling more and more comfortable that he sticks around.
"Davis had a great visit," one source with the Buckeyes shared. "Honestly, he's a great kid, quiet but he committed here for a reason, he likes it here. We know he might take visits elsewhere still, but right now I think it's looking pretty good that he signs with us."
Davis, whose commitment took most people by surprise, is taking the spot of former Buckeye commitment Ben Edwards in the recruiting class. Richmond, Virginia's Garrett Taylor committed to Penn State yesterday, so keeping Davis becomes even more paramount for Ohio State.
GLACKIN GETS QUALITY TIME
Lebanon, Ohio 2016 linebacker Jango Glackin took in The Game on Saturday and according to his father, things went pretty well.
"Jango had a great visit," Gregory Glackin told Eleven Warriors. "(Luke) Fickell was great to us and spent a lot of time with us. We understand Ohio State's (approach) a bit more now. There's tradition and fans that are second to none there."
Confusion with Ohio State's approach? Simple — when you're one of the best players in Ohio, it can be frustrating to watch Ohio State offer players from all over the country. The time with Fickell and the Buckeye staff helped shed some light on the issue for the Glackins.
"We thought they weren't interested," he said. "Fickell made it clear they definitely were. It was a very good visit."
What comes next for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Glackin and Ohio State?
"We'll be patient," his father concluded. "He'll earn (his offer) like Nick Conner did."
EICHENBERG FEELS LIKE PRIORITY
While we're on the topic of 2016 visitors (the theme of the night) let's talk about Cleveland St. Ignatius standout Liam Eichenberg. The Wildcats schedule, which consists of almost entirely Saturday afternoon games, has kept the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Eichenberg from spending much time on the the recruiting trail. Now, season complete, he has made two important trips the last two weekends: to Notre Dame and Ohio State.
"I loved it," Eichenberg said of his Ohio State visit. "Loved it."
As the state's second-ranked tackle for 2016, the four-star lineman is a major priority for the Buckeyes and on Saturday he felt that from Ohio State's staff.
"It felt like I was important to them," he said. "Right after the game, Mark Pantoni grabbed me out of all the recruits in attendance and said (Urban) Meyer wanted to talk with me first."
The Buckeyes and the Irish continue to be the front-runner for Eichenberg, who had surgery today to repair a small tear in his meniscus.
GUARANTANO AT THE TOP OF THE BUCKEYES' LIST
If the sadness experienced by Ohio State fans at the expense of JT Barrett's ankle can provide any measure of comfort, it could be that 2016 quarterback Jarrett Guarantano saw first-hand how depth can change in an instant. The country's 6th-ranked pro-style quarterback from Bergen Catholic in New Jersey, took in Columbus and the sights and sounds of The Game and came away very impressed.
"It was just a great atmosphere," Guarantano said of Ohio Stadium on Saturday. "They are some of the best fans in the country and talking to the 2015 commits was great for me. Just going through a game-day experience in Columbus against Michigan? It was the craziest thing I've ever seen."
As Barrett's injury happened, Guarantano had an opportunity to see a different side of Ohio State's Urban Meyer.
"I loved being able to hang out with (Meyer) and the rest of the coaches," he said. "It was a crazy feeling watching (Barrett get hurt.) I never realized how much love (Meyer) has for his players."
The Buckeyes have the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Guarantano right at the top of their wish list for 2016, and right now the Buckeyes are on top for him, with Oklahoma also vying for a commitment. Deciding in January, Guarantano admits that he's been hearing from schools about how stacked the quarterback position at Ohio State is. He says that's not a concern for him.
"This trip answered my questions about Ohio State, 100-percent," Guarantano concluded. "I'm not concerned with having to compete."
