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.
KILL OUT, COULD BUCKEYES MOVE ON COUGHLIN?
Wednesday morning, the Minnesota Golden Gophers received a surprising bit of news as head coach Jerry Kill stepped down, effective immediately, from his position as their head coach. As we've done with other programs in this rash of midseason coaching changes, we'll examine if there's any chance the Ohio State recruiting class could make a move to poach a player or two.
Minnesota's recruiting class, ranked seventh in the Big Ten, is not as talent-rich as others recently affected by this bug like Miami or USC, and because of that it's unlikely you'll see the Buckeyes make too sincere a push to land any of their commitments. There is one player, though, that Ohio State wanted pretty badly early in this cycle that I am sure they'll at least kick the tires on: linebacker Carter Coughlin.
Coughlin, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound linebacker from Eden Prairie, committed to the Gophers in March, choosing Minnesota over Ohio State and Oregon. Would he be a flip candidate? I don't think so. Coughlin picked Minnesota because he's a Gopher through and through with a strong family legacy there. Following the news of Kill's retirement, he tweeted about his commitment.
Coach Kill is an incredible man, and I would have loved to play under his direction. But we committed to a staff and to a team. #TheEmpire
— Carter Coughlin (@Cmoe34) October 28, 2015
I did ask one source at Ohio State if the Buckeyes – who are actively looking for another linebacker in 2016 – would make a run at Coughlin.
I was told, in no uncertain terms, that the Buckeyes would, at the least, make an inquiry but that they don't believe there's much of a chance he'd consider another school.
SIBLEY HIGHLIGHTS SHOW TALENT AND PATIENCE
Although Ohio State is likely to take a second running back in the 2017 class, there's no doubt that Todd Sibley is capable of standing out on his own.
The 5-foot-11, 205 pound 2017 Buckeye commitment has helped lead his Akron's Archbishop Hoban to an undefeated record and a spot at the top of the state's Division Three polls. The country's 15th-ranked tailback, Sibley's midseason highlights show exactly why the Buckeyes took a chance on the talented running back almost two years before he could sign on the dotted line.
Sibley and the Knights have their biggest game of the season this Saturday when they travel to undefeated Cleveland Benedictine. The Bengals are the top-ranked team in Ohio's Divison Two polls.
LECOUNTE VIDEO FROM SCOUT.COM
When he visited Ohio State over the summer for Friday Night Lights, many people believed that the trip to Columbus would seal the deal for Richard LeCounte and the Buckeyes. While he didn't commit, that visit certainly helped Ohio State pull even with, or even a little ahead of, Georgia in the race to land 2017's 43rd ranked prospect.
LeCounte, who will make his college decision in December, sat down and talked with Scout.com analyst Chad Simmons about his upcoming choice.
"It's a real close race between these two schools," LeCounte said. "It's a very hard decision to make at this time."
BOSA'S PATH TO THE UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICAN GAME
If you're looking for the story of an under-the-radar, diamond in the rough type of prospect, the story of Nick Bosa may not be for you. He's a blue chip, marquee, made-to-play football kid but that doesn't mean his road to stardom has been easy.
From USATodayHSS.com:
One of the top prospects in the country, Nick doesn’t rest on the strength of his scouting reports. Or on the Bosa family name. A 6’4, 265-lb. strong-side defensive end, Nick is his own force to be reckoned with; a five-star prospect who explodes off the line and plays with a mean strike.
Not bad, considering he wasn’t groomed to be a football star.
Bosa's path to being a five-star prospect, an Under Armour All-American and a future Buckeye is laid out a bit in this video from American Family Insurance.
