The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s events with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
PATRICE RENE AND THE BUCKEYES GETTING CLOSER?
One of the intriguing storylines from this past weekend's Friday Night Lights was the re-emergence of Alexandria, Virginia defensive back Patrice Rene on the Buckeyes' radar. Rene was offered by the Buckeyes in June of 2014 but over time the concerns about his level of competition (in Canada, before he moved to Virginia prior to the start of his junior season) had plagued the evaluation process and subsequently moved him down the list of options a bit. As numbers in a quickly growing 2016 class got tighter, it appeared Rene had been squeezed out of his spot.
But...maybe not.
On Friday night, Rene was very good, exhibiting physicality and speed that caught a number of observers off-guard. With a decision coming from Rene within a few weeks, the timing couldn't have been better for the 6-foot-tall, 180-pounder.
"I talked to Ohio State after the camp," Rene told Eleven Warriors. "They said they think I could definitely benefit them and they are willing to take me at this point."
The question then becomes how would Ohio State fit Rene in the class and who would be out were he to be in? Texas' Jaylon Jones will decide on Tuesday morning, reportedly between Ole Miss and Ohio State. Andrew Pryts is down to Notre Dame and Ohio State, Damar Hamlin is still on the board and so are others. Rene isn't worried about the others.
"I'm having a follow-up conference call with most of the staff on Tuesday," he added. "I plan on committing soon, so it's their final pitch to try and get me on board."
Rene plans to decide between Rutgers, Virginia Tech and now, maybe, the Buckeyes.
MJ WEBB LOVES BUCKEYE VISIT
Four-star Georgia lineman MJ Webb, the country's 4th-ranked defensive end in the 2017, was a late addition to Friday Night Lights but the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder said the visit went very well.
"I really enjoyed it" Webb said of the visit and the camp. "All I knew is that Ohio State is the powerhouse team in the Big Ten conference."
The visit opened his eyes and showed Webb, who was offered by the Buckeyes in May, a bit of what's made Ohio State into that powerhouse.
Take me back #OhioState #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/tOrQm9DDgH
— BIGGIE (@mwebb_8) July 27, 2015
"What stood out to me was how much we recruits got to interact with the players, and really just the tradition behind Ohio State is unbelievable," he said. "I was going to go to Auburn's big camp but I had been there a couple of times and the opportunity to fly to Ohio came up and I wanted to do that."
Webb's recruitment has been handled to this point by Larry Johnson, Sr. The 156th-ranked player in the 2017 class says he'd like to get back to Ohio State this fall.
"I'm going to try my best to get back there this fall," Webb added. "I'm not a big fan of flying and that got to me a bit, but I'm pretty sure I'll get over it. I would love to go back and visit."
CUPP SITUATION IS UNFORTUNATE SIDE OF RECRUITING
Friday night I wrote about the possibility that Leipsic, Ohio's Gavin Cupp's scholarship offer and standing with Michigan State being in jeopardy because of his decision to attend and perform at Friday Night Lights with the Buckeyes. That (unfortunately for Cupp) ended up being the case and went viral on Eleven Warriors and everywhere else on Saturday.
Cupp wasn't the only Michigan State commitment in attendance, but he – unlike Justin Layne and Jonah Morris – worked out for the Buckeyes to try and earn an offer, which is unlikely to happen. From the Michigan State side of things, the talk about pulling Cupp's offer centers on him making the trip to Ohio State without advising the Spartans' staff first, or doing it without their consent. On our FNL visitors' list, Cupp was added on July 21st, so how Michigan State missed him making the trip I can't be sure.
Cupp made the decision to camp with the Buckeyes, Michigan State made the decision quickly thereafter to move on and offered a scholarship to another 2016 Ohio lineman – Powell's AJ Arcuri – and that was it. Arcuri committed to Michigan State today and Cupp, a victim of the cruel nature of the recruiting business, is left in the cold.
The hypocrisy from Michigan State is of course staggering, but a reality of this game nonetheless. Demetric Vance, a safety commitment in the 2016 class, went to Florida and camped for the Gators and earned an offer from Jim McElwain's program. The Spartans certainly wouldn't have hesitated to add other players, or receive visits from players committed elsewhere; but when you're in charge, you make the rules. Cupp, for his part, told the Detroit Free Press he really didn't know much about what happened.
"I don't really have much more information on it than that, either," Cupp told the Free Press in a phone interview of MSU's decision to pull the offer.
Were Cupp a high four-star prospect or a five-star prospect, would the Spartans have taken such a hardline stance? I doubt it, but it's 2015 and this is recruiting and the game isn't the same for every player. It's wise to make sure you know exactly where you stand before taking other visits.
AMBRY THOMAS COMES AWAY IMPRESSED
Michigan State has been the rumored runaway leader for 2017 four-star cornerback Ambry Thomas for a while now but the Buckeyes, at the very least, have made a dent.
"I had high expectations," Thomas said of his thoughts heading into his first visit to Ohio State. "But it blew the expectations away. It was a great visit."
What made it so great for Thomas?
"Everything was great," he said. "(Ohio State defensive backs coach) Coombs made me feel so wanted. I love his coaching style. It reminds me of my head coach. He can be a pain in the rear (laughs), but I love that type of coaching."
Many felt that Thomas, the country's 11th-ranked cornerback in the 2017 class, was going to commit to Michigan State at the beginning of July but he says he's trying to take his time and really go in-depth is his recruitment. He also says he'd like to get back to Ohio State soon.
"I'm just going with the flow right now. I want to go back to Ohio State and soon," Thomas concluded. "I'm not committing anytime soon."
