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.
TIME TO START GETTING DEFENSIVE ALONG THE LINE
Earlier today, Mike took a little look back at two of the three premiere high school All-American games, the US Army All-American Bowl and the Under-Armour All-American Game. Each of those games featured one big, nasty defensive tackle that was a priority for the Buckeyes as they work to finish out the "Elite '15." On Friday night in Tampa/St. Pete it was Connecticut's Christian Wilkins; on Saturday in San Antonio it was Canada's Neville Gallimore. Gallimore, as expected, committed to Oklahoma during Saturday's affair, and the Buckeyes were absolutely expecting that. This afternoon though, they were caught off-guard when Wilkins decided to end his recruitment and commit to Clemson and not Penn State or Ohio State, as had long been rumored. I say the Buckeyes were caught off-guard because in a conversation I had with a Buckeye staffer this morning the tone was markedly more optimistic re: Wilkins than ever before.
"Our guys at the Under-Armour Game are saying it's us and Penn State," the source said, implying in at least an understated way that there was not any Clemson discussion between Wilkins and Ohio State's commitments. "If that's the case, with the playing time we can offer at defensive tackle and what we've got going here, we can't imagine him picking Penn State over us. I'd say we're cautiously optimistic."
Well, Wilkins did not pick Penn State over Ohio State, instead opting for Clemson just hours after that initial conversation. It was a surprise for the Buckeyes to hear.
"He's going to Clemson," the source said at a quarter until noon today. "Wow. Felt like we were in really good shape. He called (Larry Johnson, Sr.) and told him he felt more comfortable at Clemson. You'd think we'd be a big sell for anyone right now."
You would think that, wouldn't you? Depth chart needs, the tutelage of Urban Meyer and Larry Johnson, Sr. A program that's lost three games in three years and seems to getting only better; what's the deal? Where do the Buckeyes turn now? Do they call it quits on 2015 defensive lineman? Of course, Terry Beckner, Jr. and Porter Gustin are still out there, but they're both long-shots. Gustin isn't even necessarily a defensive lineman, which is where the need is largest.
"I'd be surprised if Gustin visits, I know he keeps saying he will, but we'll see," the source continued. "Beckner will hopefully at least visit, but he's still a long-shot. I don't think we can afford to not get another defensive tackle. We may have to go back and take another look at some of the kids we had talked with before."
That list of names, obviously a bit more classified, will of course have some you'd expect. The Buckeyes were in on Elijah Taylor from Cincinnati Moeller, but he committed to Notre Dame. Brandon Tiassum of Park Tudor (Indianapolis) was another name on the list for a while, but he too committed to Notre Dame. Outside of those two, it's conceivable the Buckeyes would make another run through the Buckeye state's top talent, but there's not many viable options outside of Cincinnati LaSalle's Jordan Thompson (committed to Northwestern) or Pittsburgh commit Kraig Howe.
One interesting name to watch could be Darrion Daniels, a four-star tackle from Bishop Dunne (Dallas) who was offered by the Buckeyes in December of 2013.
BUCKEYES TOPPLE BAMA, RECRUITS REACT
While the on-field atmosphere and reaction from Ohio State's big win last week in New Orleans is obvious, I wanted to talk to a few of the guys committed to the Buckeyes for their feelings on the Sugar Bowl.
"I knew Ohio State would pull it out," defensive tackle Robert Landers said. "All of the guys on the team have the hunger, the heart and the drive to win. The guys were playing with a chip on their shoulder."
Linebacker Nick Conner, who watched the game from California, where he was prepping for the Semper-Fi All-American game, was impressed by his future team's effort.
"I thought the defense stepped up and really made a statement," Conner said. "I gained a lot of respect for guys like Jacoby Boren, watching him playing and fighting through all the pain I know he was in. Zeke (Elliott) was a workhorse, too."
Mirko Jurkovic saw the Buckeyes playing with a high-level of intensity.
"They were playing with crazy energy," the 2015 lineman shared. "I hope that the momentum carries over (to Dallas) because they were awesome."
Cornerback Josh Norwood lives in the heart of the SEC country and he was glad to see his future school showcase their talent and speed against the doubters' odds.
"They just went out there and did what they had to do to win," Norwood told 11W. "They made big plays and people doubted them and they went and proved them wrong. I was so impressed by the intensity they played with."
WELL DESERVED RECOGNITION FOR PANTONI
In the recruiting business, there's no such thing as an "easy" choice, but when it comes to recognizing the efforts of those involved in recruiting, recognizing the best of the best is even harder. Ohio State's Mark Pantoni is the best of the best and for the second straight year he's been recognized as such. As he was in 2013, Pantoni has once again been named a finalist for the FootballScoop.com Player Personnel Director of the Year award. The 2013 award, the first time it had been awarded, was claimed by Alabama's Tyler Siskey. With all due respect to Mr. Siskey, there's no one more deserving than Pantoni, who has been the right-hand of Urban Meyer for almost 8 years and has played a major part in Meyer's success in Gainesville and Columbus.
The original "Swaggernaut", Pantoni's unique perspective on football, pop-culture and his relative youth makes him remarkably relatable to high school prospects all over the country and his ability to forge relationships is routinely mentioned by recruits.
VENZELL BOULWARE VISIT PLANS OHIO STATE OFFICIAL VISIT
When he committed to Tennessee in late August, Fairburn, Georgia's Venzell Boulware said he was still planning on taking official visits to other schools. Ohio State, although they have five currently committed offensive lineman (six, if you count long-snapper Liam McCullough) has always been on that list of potential visits. Today, Boulware has scheduled his trip, and he'll be in Columbus again on January 23rd-25th.
"I've already seen a lot in Columbus," Boulware told 11W. "I'd like to go there again and get a better feel for everything there."
Boulware, the country's 40th-ranked offensive tackle, is a versatile player who could play on the interior of the line or at tackle. He's not concerned about Ohio State's numbers along the line and says he and the Buckeyes have never stopped talking.
"We have stayed in communication the whole time," Boulware said. "The relationship is good, and it doesn't bother me at all they have five guys (already committed)."
