The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s event with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
BIGGER THAN THE GAME
Last night, Brandon Huffman, Scout.com's National Director of Recruiting, went to Twitter with heartbreaking news about his daughter, Avery. Huffman and his wife, Amanda, were told that their six-year-old little girl had a tumor in her brain, diagnosed officially with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, just days after noticing that she was appearing cross-eyed in her left eye.
The full text of Huffman's story can be read here.
Huffman, whom I've never met personally, is a long-standing and well-respected member of the recruiting analyst industry. The truth is that each day any of us wake up, we are at the mercy of forces beyond our control. Devastating news, gut-wrenching and horrible realities are possible and when a story hits like this one, it's hard to ignore. I don't often try to personalize this column, but there are times when it is absolutely the right thing to do.
If you're capable, in any way, of helping the Huffmans, they've arranged a GoFundMe.com page to try and help offset the costs of their upcoming medical care and expenses.
MULLEN PLANS OHIO STATE OFFICIAL
Last month the Buckeyes hosted the Coconut Creek, Florida duo of Trayvon Mullen and Binjimen Victor for an impromptu visit following a camp appearance in Detroit. While there's at least some speculation that Victor – and possibly Mullen – could return to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights, it appears that Mullen will, at the least, tentatively be back to campus this fall.
Things can change pic.twitter.com/H2hNrd0c4g
— Mantis.tm1 (@Mullen_1era) July 2, 2015
The country's fourth-ranked cornerback saw his initial message twisted and contorted into a "Top Five" schools list and almost immediately acted to correct the context of his list.
What's hard about reading and understand that isn't my top 5 I'm COMPLETELY OPEN and then officials can change now RT this please
— Mantis.tm1 (@Mullen_1era) July 2, 2015
WHAT IF...
The Buckeyes have hosted each of their top three defensive tackle options in 2016 at varying points in the last month. Antwuan Jackson, Rashard Lawrence and Rashan Gary each spent time in Columbus, yet the Buckeyes are not in a position where they lead in the recruitment for any of them, and that's got some folks who follow recruiting feeling a bit squeamish.
If the Buckeyes do miss on the three names mentioned above, what prospects are next in line? Two names from Texas are still in play, although – to this point – neither has visited Columbus yet.
Mike Williams, a former high school teammate of Demetrius Knox at All Saints Episcopal in For Worth, and Chris Daniels from Euless, are still talking to, and about, the Buckeyes. Sources close to the Buckeyes indicate that both Williams and Daniels are being watched and evaluated closely.
PRYTS PLANS FNL VISIT
A little over a week ago, we updated the situation with Andrew Pryts who, until very recently, had been rumored to be leaning towards Penn State. Now, a few days following his visit out west to Stanford, Pryts is closer to a decision, and deciding, according to an interview with 247Sports.com, between five schools.
"I would say those five, Ohio State, Stanford, Notre Dame, Penn State, and UCLA, are really the ones," he told 247Sports. "Outside of that maybe there's one or two schools I'd still consider, but those are really the five.
Pryts is likely to visit Ohio State again this month, likely for Friday Night Lights.
"I'll most likely be (at Friday Night Lights)," Pryts told 11W. "I think I'd like to decide before the season starts."
