The Hurry Up: New 2017 Cornerback Offer, Sibley Flirting, Big Weekend for Mack and More

SIBLEY CAMPING IN COLUMBUS THIS WEEKEND, RUMORS ABOUT MSU SWIRLING

Ohio State 2017 running back commitment Todd Sibley, Jr. will camp this Sunday for Nike's The Opening regionals in Columbus. The camp is a great opportunity for him to make himself a national name and to elevate his national ranking. 

In the last few days 2017's 15th-ranked tailback has been the subject of many social media posts and pot-stirring because of this tweet.

Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Stanford showing lots of interest lately

— T Sib (@ToddSib23) May 26, 2015

After posting that, Sibley was inundated with the typical onslaught of Twitter recruiters and wild pontifications about his eventual college choice. Today, Sibley added some fuel to the fire with another tweet about Notre Dame and yes, Michigan State.

Would like to visit Michigan state and Notre Dame soon!

— T Sib (@ToddSib23) May 27, 2015

In fact, one segment of Michigan State's fanbase has already begun penciling in Sibley into their 2017 recruiting class.

My class of '17 offense projection: QB- @Khillqb11 RB- @ToddSib23 WR- @dpeoplesjones WR- @Kj_hamler WR- @hunterrison ATH- @TyJohnson87

— Spartan Designs (@sparty_designs) May 26, 2015

Why? I have no idea. The Spartans have a great program, a top ten coach and a number of things working in their favor, but with all that it's still not realistic to make that assumption. Sibley is from Ohio, a life-long Buckeye fan, committed to the Buckeyes nearly two years prior to his signing day and – barring a crazy change of situations at Ohio State – isn't going to flip. Period.

Still a Buckeye though!

— T Sib (@ToddSib23) May 27, 2015

Still, it's 2015 and it's recruiting and players are going to explore all options, "committed" or not, so don't be surprised as the rumors circle here for the next, oh, 18 months.

MACK MAKES FINAL TOUR

If you've been living under a rock or just decided today was the day to get interested in Buckeye recruiting, you may be unfamiliar with Fort Wayne, Indiana's Austin Mack. The top wide receiver target on Ohio State's 2016 recruiting board, Mack made a visit to the Eleven Dubcast today and talked a bit about his recruiting and more; it's worth checking out. 

This weekend, Mack will visit three of his finalists for what is (presumably) the last time. On Friday, he'll stop at Notre Dame, Saturday will bring a trip to Ann Arbor and Sunday he'll be in Columbus for Nike's The Opening regionals, where he'll try to participate as much as he can while recovering from a torn labrum. Ironically, the camp being in Columbus means Mack won't be allowed to have any contact with Ohio State's staff, but he's familiar with the area and a number of a Buckeye commitments will be on hand and I'm sure he'll spend some quality time with them. 

The following Sunday, June 7th, Mack will make his decision and things still seem to be trending towards Ohio State in his recruitment.

BUCKEYES OFFER 2017 TEXAS CORNERBACK

In the 2014 recruiting class, the Buckeyes attempted to land Nick Watkins, a cornerback from Dallas Bishop Dunne High School. Watkins ended up signing with Notre Dame, but Ohio State is going back to Dallas and Bishop Dunne and today offered 2017 cornerback Chevin Calloway.

Calloway is 5-foot-10, 180-pounder and currently has offers from Baylor, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan and others. Ohio State has two cornerbacks committed in 2017 so it might be a tough sell for a star from Texas. The Buckeyes, headed by Tim Beck and Kerry Coombs, like what they see in Calloway and made the offer anyway. 

CHARACTER NAMES TOP THREE, BUCKEYES ON THE LIST

The Buckeyes passed up Chad Clay, a 2016 Georgia cornerback who committed to the Bulldogs two weeks ago, and now they find themselves being listed in the top three of another Peach State corner, Marlon Character. An Atlanta product, the 6-foot-tall, 170-pound Character released his top three on Twitter.

VT SC and OSU top three

— Marlon Character Jr. (@riptrizzle) May 24, 2015

Ohio State has not yet had the Grady High School standout on campus and until that happens he's not a legitimate option for the Buckeyes. Right now, South Carolina appears to be the favorite with Virginia Tech running behind them and the Buckeyes being very expensive window dressing on his list.

THE OPENING REGIONALS: PLAYERS I'LL BE WATCHING

Yesterday I listed two players, DeMario McCall and Landon Young, as guys I'll be paying close attention to this Sunday during The Opening regional camp at Ohio State. Today, I'm talking about Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's Prince Sammons, a 2016 two-way lineman with a Buckeye offer and 2017 Pittsburgh star cornerback Paris Ford.

Sammons is the country's 93rd-ranked prospect in the 2016 class, yet, seems to be a player without a natural position and I think this weekend could go a long way towards helping him determine where he fits best. Considered by many to be a lock to end up a Buckeye, I think Ohio State would really like to see what Sammons is capable of if he focuses on one position and one sport. Right now, there's some who feel he still may enjoy the hardwood more than the gridiron. This past weekend the 6-foot-8, 280-pounder visited Duke, and his father said there are no plans for any further college visits – at least not yet – for this summer. 

Ford, the country's 143rd-ranked 2017 prospect, is one of a few potential Buckeye options at safety and although he's not holding an Ohio State offer yet, is likely to see that happen soon. He's got the size and speed (6-foot-2, 180-pounds, 4.53) that college coaches covet and despite being one of the younger players in attendance this weekend, I think he's a guy that will turn a lot of heads.

Ford will one of a handful of players coming to Columbus on Saturday to take a tour of Ohio State, signaling a pretty good-sized amount of interest from the Buckeyes. An offer from the Buckeyes would put them in a good position to land him.