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.
BUTLER ENJOYS BUCKEYE VISIT
Ohio State's big recruiting weekend paid immediate dividends with Demario McCall's commitment, but another Ohio prepster could find himself with an offer if things work out. Lakewood St. Edward's defensive back Tony Butler, a Pittsburgh commitment, visited Columbus on Saturday morning and got to see Ohio State up close.
"The scrimmage they had was great," Butler said. "I had a great time. I spent most of the time with Chris Ash, because I'm being recruited by them as a safety."
Butler committed to Pittsburgh – as a cornerback – and new head coach Pat Narduzzi during an on-campus visit on March 21. The visit to Columbus was already planned, so he went through with it. He says there are some similarities between Ohio State, Pittsburgh and his state champion high school team.
"It doesn't matter to me (which position), I just need to be coached hard and pushed hard," he said. "That's why I chose Pitt. Coach Narduzzi develops players and they become great."
Ohio State did not offer Butler, but he said there's a chance that could be coming.
"Ohio State said they want to see me run," Butler, who ran a 10.9 in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore, said of a potential offer. "They'll be at a track meet when the recruiting period opens."
NO OFFER FOR WOHLABAUGH...YET
Another of Ohio's top prospects without a Buckeye offer is offensive lineman Jack Wohlabaugh, who also visited Columbus this past weekend. Like Butler, the offer could still be on the way soon.
"I enjoyed it a lot," Wohlabaugh told 11W of the visit. "It was really good."
Like most of the visitors, Wohlabaugh was on hand trying to envision himself under the tutelage of the Buckeye coaching staff.
"It was really intense with a lot of hard-hitting and competition," he said of Ohio State's practice efforts. "I really liked that. I like to line up against someone and have the best man win through physicality and technique."
As far as an offer from the Buckeyes, Wohlabaugh said they were pretty clear about where they are in the process.
"Coach Meyer talked to me about that," Wohlabaugh said of a potential offer. "He said that the team really needs a strong class on the offensive line, which will consist of three, possibly four guys. So this year they are taking it really slow with that and they want me to bring my family down so they can meet up with all of them and become closer. He said they are really close to offering. Also, coach (Ed) Warinner and one of his graduate assistants said they really need a center for my class and think I can definitely be that guy."
FARRELL HAS FINAL FOUR
Yet another Ohioan on campus this weekend was Perry High School tight end Luke Farrell. The nation's eighth-ranked tight end, Farrell made it quite clear heading into the visit that he would not be committing to Ohio State on this trip. He's got visits planned for Penn State and Boston College over spring break and those two schools, along with Michigan State and Ohio State, are the four schools he's focusing on, according to Rivals.com analyst Ryan Donnelly.
Farrell has never had an issue proclaiming the Buckeyes as his leader, and he still considers them to be. He's not yet visited Boston College or Penn State, so for the duo to be included in his top four – and not schools like Michigan and Notre Dame – is interesting and likely a positive sign for the Buckeyes.
A late summer decision is in the cards for Farrell and barring a significant change in Ohio State's tactics or Farrell's feelings, it'd be an absolute stunner to see him end up anywhere other than Ohio State come next February.
HANSFORD EARNS BUCKEYE OFFER
If you're a fan of linebackers in the mold of Darron Lee, then you'll be a fan of new Buckeye offer Aaron Hansford, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker from Washington, D.C. The St. John's College High School (confusing, I know) junior is a high school teammate of current Buckeye commitment Terrell Hall and visited with Hall this past weekend.
Hansford was offered by Ohio State this weekend during that visit and there's no doubt the opportunity to play for the Buckeyes struck him hard.
God is truly a factor in my life by blessing me with the opportunity to play at THE Ohio State University #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9n7E3PoJVW
— Aaron hansford (@AaronTheRealMVP) March 28, 2015
Some speculation over the weekend was that Hansford committed to Ohio State, but he says that's not the case; at least not yet.
"The visit went great," Hansford told 11W. "It means a lot. They won the national title. I will be thinking things over with my family first, before I make any decision."
Hansford holds offers from Maryland, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke and others, but the Buckeyes are absolutely the "biggest" name on his list. He's a player to watch and a name to watch as the 2016 recruiting class develops.
