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.
MCCALL NOT JUST A LUXURY
In case you're one of those strange people who like, do stuff on the weekends and missed the big news, Eleven Warriors broke the news that North Ridgeville's Demario McCall committed to Ohio State on Saturday. The country's third-ranked running back chose the Buckeyes over West Virginia, Notre Dame and others, and while there was never really a threat for the Buckeyes to lose him, securing the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder during his Saturday visit wasn't a sure thing. He went to Columbus and brought his family, which was a sign that perhaps the time was right, but it was spending the day with Tony Alford, Ohio State's new running backs' coach, that ultimately sealed the deal.
McCall joins Kareem Walker and George Hill as "running backs" committed to the Buckeyes, but as we've discussed a number of times, that positional labeling is not entirely accurate.
That's not turrible, if you're a fan of Ohio State football
In Ohio State's second-ranked 2013 recruiting class Ohio State reeled in Ezekiel Elliott, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson and each has been used in a different manner so far during their Buckeye careers and the 2016 group will be similarly deployed. Make no mistake, adding McCall is not just a luxury for the Buckeyes, or another toy in the garage for Urban Meyer. He's a game-changing offensive weapon and could be a shutdown cornerback if he chose to focus on that element of his game. When you combine those factors with the fact that's from Ohio, he became the very definition of a "must get" and Ohio State's coaching staff made him a priority from the very beginning.
The new challenge? Ensuring that this group stays together. There've been rumors lately surrounding Hill and Michigan State, some are even going so far as to predict a "flip" to the Spartans. Hill, in a discussion Friday night, laughed off any of those rumors, but with his good friend Larry Scott preparing to head to East Lansing this coming summer, it'd be almost impossible to keep him from making a visit at some point. The Spartans are also pushing hard for a visit from Kareem Walker, and don't be surprised if at some point that visit – or any number of other visits from Walker – happens. It's the new age of recruiting and there's no such thing as a slam dunk, but the Buckeyes are in a great position and each member of the dynamic trio is aware of how they'll be utilized and have obviously signed off on those plans with their commitment.
NEW JERSEY STARS TAKE IN OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN
Outside of McCall's commitment, the visit from Ahmir Mitchell, Rashan Gary and Corey Bolds was probably the biggest news of the weekend. Bolds is a 2017 defensive tackle from Paramus Catholic with offers from Rutgers and Michigan and will likely end up with a Buckeye offer, but the duo of Mitchell and Gary – both Top 100 players nationally – was the main course.
From talking with a couple of people close to the Ohio State side of things, they feel the visit went about as well as it could have. They know they've got a bit of an uphill battle, especially for Gary, the country's top-ranked prospect, but this weekend gave them a bit of confidence in the fight. There's a chance – a good one – that Gary will return to Columbus for Ohio State's spring game on April 18th with the aforementioned Kareem Walker. Getting him back on campus again so soon could be vital, especially with the likelihood that the entire Buckeye recruiting class – and players like Nick Bosa – would be on campus with him. That kind of weekend plays a big part in developing relationships and building camaraderie in a class and getting Gary to be a part of that would be huge.
The Camden High School duo of Brad Hawkins and Ron Johnson did not make it to Columbus, opting to spend their entire weekend in Ann Arbor.
WHERE'S WALLACE
Earlier today we caught up with Tristen Wallace, the DeSoto, Texas standout quarterback who – along with his family – drove from Dallas to Columbus this weekend to check out the Buckeyes. Wallace did not commit this weekend despite some thought that could have happened on this trip.
By not committing, or not trying to, Wallace gives the Buckeyes a little time to sort out their thoughts about the quarterback position, and gives Jarrett Guarantano a reason to make his scheduled visit to Columbus next week. Ohio State has had Guarantano as their primary quarterback target for months and the decision to delay a bit by Wallace is likely a sigh of relief for the Buckeyes, who now can make their final pitch to Guarantano without needing to "hold back" on Wallace.
WADE IMPRESSED BY BUCKEYES
One of the top 2017 prospects in attendance this weekend was Clairton, Pennsylvania's Lamont Wade, the country's 44th-ranked player in 2017. Wade has a Buckeye offer and was impressed by what he saw and the time he got to spend with two Ohio State coaches.
"The visit was really good," Wade said. "The way they practiced, I loved it. It was really good to see how (Ohio State defensive backs' coach Kerry) Coombs coached, as well as the other coaches."
Wade did spend some time with Urban Meyer as well.
"I spent the whole day with Coach Coombs," he said. "But I did get to talk to Urban Meyer at the end of the day. I feel I have a real good connection with him and I liked his coaching style."
Ohio State didn't push Wade for a commitment, but they let him know what the situation in Columbus is like, and if he wants in, he may have to decide soon.
"Well, they have one committed defensive back in my class already," Wade said, speaking of Florida's Shaun Wade, no relation. "The other defensive back they've offered is from Columbus, so..(laughs)"
Wade knows that Westerville South's Marcus Williamson is rumored to be trending in Ohio State's direction, but he won't be swayed by two early pledges. He says his versatility alleviates any concern about crowding.
"Ohio State doesn't talk about what number of guys they want," he said. "But I can play other spots instead of just cornerback, so it would be ok."
