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.
IMATORBHEBHE COMMITS TO USC, COULD IT HELP OHIO STATE?
Earlier today, Suwanee, Georgia wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe committed to Southern California via this Bleacher Report exclusive. Imatorbhebhe, the country's 33rd-ranked wide receiver, is the second wide receiver in the 2016 class for the Trojans and they're the front-runner to add a commitment from Tyler Vaughns, who is ranked as the second-best in the country at that position. USC is also very much in the mix for Dylan Crawford and Trevon Sidney, each of whom are in the top 20 nationally at wide receiver.
So, what does this have to do with Ohio State? Well, Nate Craig-Myers lists USC – along with Ohio State – as a pair of schools he's very interested in learning more about since his decommitment from Auburn two weeks ago. With the Buckeyes' current situation at wide receiver, zero commitments from true wide receivers (one likely in June), Urban Meyer and Zach Smith may be able to spend their time post-June solely on NCM, highlighting that "Hey, we're not bringing in a gaggle of guys at your spot, this is your best opportunity" and it wouldn't be a surprise if that was the case.
Of course, Florida State and Auburn are still involved in Craig-Myers' recruitment, but sources close to the country's top wide receiver have increasingly indicated that he's legitimately interested in getting to know more about Ohio State and visiting soon. That's a key piece to the puzzle.
CLAY PICKS GEORGIA
Moments ago, another Suwanee, Georgia prospect who was considering Ohio State, defensive back Chad Clay, committed to Georgia over the Buckeyes and Florida. Clay visited Ohio State in early April and the Buckeyes blew him away, being named his leader as recently as two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, as he began to narrow down his decision, the Buckeyes and Clay didn't work out, but Peachtree Ridge High School – where Cameron Heyward and Bradley Roby came to Columbus from – has been very good to Ohio State in the past. It's a high school that the Buckeyes will still be spending a lot of time at, because the Lions have a number of big-time prospects on their roster.
Beyond Clay in 2016, defensive back Nigel Warrior has a Buckeye offer and is still considering Ohio State. In the 2017 class, five-star prospect Deangelo Gibbs and Connor Hayward, the younger brother of Cam, are both potential Buckeye targets. Not a bad secondary for a high school team.
CORLEY COULD VISIT NEXT WEEK
There was some discussion that Ohio State could get an early-week visit this week from Detroit's Donnie Corley, the country's 14th-ranked wide receiver, but it appears that will not happen at this time. The Buckeyes are still optimistic in regard to their standing with Corley, despite many believing a commitment to Michigan State is coming soon.
If Corley can't make it to Columbus this week, I'm told there's a chance it could happen over the Memorial Day weekend/Monday instead. For Ohio State's chances at landing Corley, another visit in the near future is very important, as it seems right now they – along with the Spartans – are the frontrunners and a decision from Corley could happen at almost any time.
Like the aforementioned Craig-Myers, Michigan State's 2016 wide receiver is a bit more complete than the Buckeyes' own situation. The Spartans have commitments from two wide receivers that the Buckeyes have already offered – Cam Chambers and Justin Layne – and each are four-star prospects. They've also recently added a commitment from Akron wide receiver/tight end Jonah Morris. Ohio State is expected at Martin Luther King High School this week.
FULLER ON THE OPENING, CRYSTAL BALLS
Another place you should expect to see the Buckeye coaching staff this week is Westwood, New Jersey. Jordan Fuller says he and the Ohio State coaches are talking almost every day.
"Ohio State is coming over this week," Fuller told Eleven Warriors. "I talk to a coach on Twitter almost every single day, it's constant contact."
The Buckeyes are not the only program making a big push to land the country's 116th-ranked prospect.
"The relationships I have there are about the same as with Rutgers, Penn State, and Michigan," he added. "There's always contact with everyone these days."
This past weekend, Fuller made a long trip to Oakland, California to participate in Nike's The Opening regionals. The camp was a success – he earned an invite to The Opening while running a 4.51-40-yard dash – and he was able to stop in to visit one of the schools that have offered him: Stanford.
"I was nursing a little groin pull the weekend Nike was in New Jersey," Fuller said, explaining the long-distance camp decision. "This was the only weekend I had a Saturday and Sunday off. I really wanted that invitation [to The Opening] so I made the trip. Stanford was close by, so my dad was like 'why not visit?' It was really nice (at Stanford.)"
The Buckeyes are trailing UCLA, where his brother plays for the Bruins, and Rutgers on the 247Sports.com crystal ball, but there are only five current predictions. The latest, from Steve Wiltfong, was for the Buckeyes and is likely to start a trend in that direction. No decision is imminent for Fuller, but it's clear he's a priority for the Buckeyes and they're getting a very good look from him.
