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.
JONES, MITCHELL, LAWRENCE HIGHLIGHT HUGE FRIDAY IN COLUMBUS
Tomorrow will be the final one day camp of the summer at Ohio State, and it's shaping up to be a big day in Columbus. Earlier this week the Buckeyes hosted four-star defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson and last night it was another big-time defensive tackle who confirmed via Twitter his own plans for a visit.
HUGE visit this weekend at THE Ohio State University Flying out tomorrow #BuckeyeNation #OhioState
— Rashard Lawrence (@Rashard_99) June 17, 2015
That is five-star Louisiana defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence, a 6-foot-3, 305-pounder that is, by most accounts, a "lock" for LSU. Still, for Lawrence and his family to be paying their own way for a trip to Ohio State means they have some legitimate interest.
Lawrence is the country's 15th-ranked overall prospect and one of seven five-star defensive tackles in the 2016 class, which remains a position of significant need for the Buckeyes in this cycle.
The five-star defensive tackle won't be the only big-time prospect on campus with the Buckeyes.
One player that we've not talked about much is Allen, Texas defensive back Jaylon Jones, but he's at the very top of the list for the Buckeyes when it comes to safeties. Some have described him to me as a "Vonn Bell-esque" type of talent and getting him on campus now, before he heads to Oregon for The Opening is huge in respect to Ohio State's chances. The rumors right now are that Jones could make a decision in Oregon and some are going so far as to suggest that the Buckeyes could be in the driver's seat right now, so this weekend visit, which could stretch into a Friday-Sunday trip, is huge.
New Jersey's Ahmir Mitchell also confirmed to 11W today that he will be in Columbus with the Buckeyes on Friday. Mitchell is one of the country's best athletes and a player that Ohio State has offered, but questions remain about exactly how he'd fit into their recruiting class because he's not at the top of the list at wide receiver or defensive back. Still, he's a prospect that ranks in the Top 100 nationally and, as another key New Jersey talent, could help swing the tide in the Garden State away from Michigan, who seems to be closing in on Mitchell, Brad Hawkins and Rashan Gary.
Five-star 2017 safety, Jeffrey Okudah, another Texas star, is still planning to be in Columbus. The Buckeyes are cautiously optimistic in their standing with Okudah. He's been to Alabama and Tennessee already this week.
Ohio State commitments Tristen Wallace, George Hill, Tyler Gerald and Danny Clark are also expected.
GERALD AND COOPER GET DESERVED BUMPS IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
Yesterday, 247Sports.com reshuffled their Top 247 rankings for the 2016 class and a pair of Ohio State commitments received significant and well-deserved bumps in their ranking.
The aforementioned Tyler Gerald is now ranked the 135th-overall prospect in the country and the 4th-ranked offensive guard. Gerald transferred to the prestigious IMG Academy from Portsmouth East in January, and reviews have regularly labeled him as one of the most college-ready prospects in IMG's all-star-laden lineup. Gerald moved up almost 45 spots nationally.
Defensive end Jonathon Cooper was one of the bigger movers in the rankings, jumping almost 150 spots all the way to No. 63 in the composite rankings. Cooper has dominated all spring and summer in the most elite camp settings and his ranking has adjusted to reflect it. He's now the country's 5th-ranked defensive end and is in a position to move up to "five-star" status this fall if his senior tape reflects his off-season work.
CHRIS EVANS RUMORS
Some scuttlebutt began fluttering yesterday that recent Michigan commitment Chris Evans, a four-star athlete from Indianapolis, was considering a change of heart following a stop/camp performance in Columbus last Saturday with the Buckeyes.
The Ben Davis High School star has long been interested in Ohio State, but after reaching out to a few folks yesterday, including Evans, I don't think there's much of a chance for this smoke to turn into any substantial fire. While Evans athleticism and versatility makes him an attractive option for any program in the country, the tightening of numbers in Columbus makes it unlikely there'd be room at Ohio State right now.
AFTER FURTHER REVIEW
Yesterday I suggested that Trishton Jackson, offered by Michigan State earlier in the day, was likely to be a Spartan soon. He committed to Mark Dantonio last night. The thought I had initially was that Jackson's pledge could help Ohio State's pursuit of Donnie Corley, Jr., because there's almost no doubt that at least initially Jackson will be another wide receiver in the Spartans' class, which already had two others, meaning Corley, when he commits to Michigan State, would be the fourth.
Corley isn't going to be "afraid" of competition, clearly, but it's still worth noting that there's a disparity in the numbers being brought in at his position from school-to-school. However, after some discussion with folks in the know, it appears that the trio of Corley, Cam Chambers, and Justin Layne were approached by the Spartan staff to make sure everyone was "ok" with the offer being extended to Jackson.
Bottom line, right now, Corley to MSU seems to be an almost done deal and, as stated previously, if there's no return visit to Ohio State soon it's pretty much game over in that chase.
DAQUON GREEN COULD ADD INTRIGUE TO 2017 WR RACE
Yesterday at Florida Atlantic University, the Buckeye coaching staff got to spend time with a number of prospects on their radar thanks to the loophole of satellite camps. One player who was particularly interested in putting himself in front of Ohio State's staff was Tampa Tech 2017 wide receiver DaQuon Green. Green, who was offered by the Buckeyes in mid-May, said the chance to work out with Zach Smith and Tony Alford was a great experience.
"The camp went well," Green said. "It was great to get to work with them in person, to give them a chance to see me in person."
Green has been primarily recruited by Tony Alford, but the chance to work with Zach Smith was important.
"I like his work ethic that he showed us," Green said of Smith. "Through the different drills he showed that can I make a huge improvement on my game with every play."
Green says the Buckeyes are likely to see him again soon.
"I wanted to plan a visit up there before the end of this month," Green said of Ohio State. "(Tony) Alford said he won't be in town, so I'll have to wait. I might attend their Friday Night Lights camp. My coach and I will have to talk about it."
