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
Another day, another bout of concern about whether or not Ohio State commitment Carlton Davis ends up in Columbus or somewhere closer to his Miami home. A week after stating unequivocally that he was "150-percent committed" to Ohio State, Davis is now going to officially visit Florida next weekend where Randy Shannon, a coach who is very close to Davis' family, is now employed.
According to Davis, the trip is more or less just a formality and being taken out of respect for Shannon, but no matter how he speaks of his commitment to Ohio State as long as he's taking visits elsewhere there's at least a modicum of concern necessary. The Buckeyes are perhaps a bit more concerned about Florida — because of Shannon — than they were about Miami.
The bottom line is that no matter which player you've got committed, these days you have to keep recruiting them hard until they've signed their name on the dotted line. Davis, Torrance Gibson, Mike Weber or Kevin Feder, Joe Burrow and Eric Glover-Williams, the sharks are always circling.
DAMON ARNETTE
Don't for a second think that the Buckeyes aren't equally as adept at being the shark as they are trying to avoid being eaten by one. On the weekend of January 30th, Ohio State will get an official visit from South Carolina commitment Damon Arnette. The 56th-ranked cornerback in the country, Arnette will also visit Michigan next weekend — he was offered by Jim Harbaugh and his staff yesterday — and it appears that he's interested in checking out all his options outside of South Carolina.
The timing of Arnette's visit to Ohio State is what I think is important here. Clearly, the Buckeyes are interested in Arnette, but I don't believe that at this point they'd have room for him unless another prospect were to leave the class from the defensive backs group. In today's world of recruiting, you have to have a backup plan for your backup plans and it seems like Urban Meyer and his staff are preparing for any and all eventualities.
I think at this point Michigan is the bigger threat for Arnette, despite his longer-standing relationship with the Buckeyes, simply because the needs in Ann Arbor are far greater than anywhere else. Arnette plays at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, and the Buckeyes have well-established relationships there, so if they can prevent Harbaugh and his staff from stealing one of their stars, they may want to go all-in on Arnette.
HILLIARD, FERNS RECEIVE MORE HONORS FOR BIG SEASONS
There's been no shortage of accolades this season for 2015 Cincinnati St. Xavier standout Justin Hilliard and 2016 St. Clairsville (Ohio) star linebacker Brendan Ferns.
Hilliard, one of the leaders in Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class, was the only Ohioan and the sole Buckeye commitment named to the MaxPreps.com All-American team. The defensive player of the year in Ohio and a finalist for the High School Butkus Award, Hilliard was selected for the US Army All-American Bowl but did not participate or travel to San Antonio while he recovered from a small medical procedure.
"My knee is a lot better," Hilliard told 11W. "I started running (Sunday) and I should be close to 100-percent by the end of the week."
Junior linebacker Brendan Ferns was named Second-Team MaxPreps.com All-American after an incredible junior season where he racked up 114 tackles tackles on defense but also ran for over 1100 yards from the tailback position. He was also named first-team junior All-American by CBSSports.com and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming.
ILBs named 1st Team JR AA by CBS Sports Network-Darrian Franklin, Shaquille Quarterman,Lokeni Toailoa, Ben Davis,Tre Lamar and Brendan Ferns
— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) January 6, 2015
Ferns is the state of Ohio's 5th-ranked prospect in 2016 and the state's top-ranked linebacker.
