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.
DEXTER LAWRENCE REMAINS A LONGER SHOT
So, with the big recruiting weekend now over, we've had a little chance to talk to people about the key visitors.
We'll start with Dexter Lawrence, the country's third-ranked 2016 prospect, who took in the game with Michigan State, his first visit to Ohio State. Lawrence spent a lot of time with Buckeye commitments, notably Jonathon Cooper. Coming into the visit, we were told that one of the key areas Ohio State would focus was to try and sell Lawrence on the idea of being a big part of something special–the 2016 defensive line class–and that he'd be made very aware of the Buckeyes' need for defensive tackle help.
All accounts of the visit are that it went well, Lawrence himself isn't much of a talker, but that the Buckeyes best swing may not be enough for a kid who isn't really interested in going too far from home.
Bottom line: Ohio State was a long-shot to land Dexter Lawrence coming into his visit and they remain one coming out of it. North Carolina State and Clemson are near the top of his list.
ANTWUAN JACKSON CONTINUES TO THINK BUCKEYES, AUBURN
As far as defensive tackles who remain a very viable possibility for the Buckeyes, Antwuan Jackson's trip was different in a number of ways from Dexter Lawrence. First, Jackson has been to Ohio State three times since the summer and has been back and forth between the Buckeyes and Auburn as his leader for months.
This weekend, Jackson took in a bit more of the atmosphere around the school itself and spent a lot of time with Jonathon Cooper, who he's become very close with throughout the recruiting process.
I enjoyed my Official Visit From Ohio State I had a blast. #OhioState #Buckeyes #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/Hna1FOOEbL
— Antwuan Jackson (@Hercules__52) November 23, 2015
With Jackson, there's been confidence from the Buckeyes' side of things for months and that doesn't seem to be waning, but it's still impossible to count Auburn out here. The likelihood is that Jackson will make his final trip to Auburn this weekend for the Iron Bowl and that a choice could be made sometime quickly thereafter.
88 tackles 9.5 sacks 47 TFL 7 FF 1 FC going into the 3rd round
— Antwuan Jackson (@Hercules__52) November 23, 2015
It's incredibly difficult to imagine Larry Johnson and Urban Meyer getting shutout on all of the remaining defensive tackle targets and Jackson is still the guy most likely to end up a Buckeye as he's been since July.
2016 DEFENSIVE BACKS TOTALLY UP IN THE AIR
Sundy we talked a little bit about Myles Dorn and Dylan Singleton, each of whom took official visits to Ohio State this past weekend, but neither of whom is likely to end up a Buckeye come February.
Dorn and Singleton are each new names on the recruiting scene for the Buckeyes, but a few prospects we've discussed ad nauseam remain at the top of what is becoming a very murky picture for defensive backs in 2016.
Two other defensive backs who made official trips this weekend, California's Brandon Burton and Georgia's Nigel Warrior, may be cases of "too little, too late," for the Buckeyes. While multiple people have said that each player had a good visit despite the weather and disappointing loss, it's hard to really seal the deal with a player from out of the state at this point in the game if they've never visited before, and that's the case for each of these four-stars. Urban Meyer actually referenced that during his press conference Monday at Ohio State, the challenge to get to know guys during an official visit is challenging, doing it after a loss is more so.
"The hard thing is just trying to have a good day meeting, when you're meeting, that's the hardest thing," Meyer said Monday morning. "To come in and put on the recruiting face at 9:00 the next morning? That's a challenge."
One player the Buckeyes didn't have to try to get to know was Damar Hamlin, who was once thought to be a "lean" to Ohio State. Hamlin visited unofficially this past weekend and was made a priority of the staff. He was seen spending time on the sidelines talking to not just Mark Pantoni, but also Shelley Meyer, and continues to vacillate between Pitt, Notre Dame and Ohio State. The thought right now is that despite a multitude of early visits and interest, right now the Buckeyes may be trailing each of those two schools.
Jordan Fuller is another player once thought to be leaning in the Buckeyes' direction, but he's taken no official visits and says he's not entirely sure which schools will get them. Ohio State has made him a priority for months and he knows where he stands with them, but the decisions he has ahead of him are varied and personal, so with a brother at UCLA and being from New Jersey, it won't be easy.
With only Wayne Davis and Kareem Felder committed, there remains a definite desire to add one or two more defensive backs in 2016 but right now the names we know are getting a bit murkier.
BOCKHORST LOVES OHIO STATE TRIP
Cincinnati 2017 offensive lineman Matt Bockhorst made a decision late last week to visit Ohio State over the weekend, deciding to skip a potential trip to Penn State or Clemson in favor of Columbus. He said he's glad he made the trip despite a less-than-ideal weather situation.
"It went well," Bockhorst said of his visit. "The weather wasn't great obviously but still a great experience. The whole environment was awesome. There's something about walking down that tunnel onto the field that makes you want to flip the switch in your head and hit somebody."
The country's seventh-ranked offensive guard, Bockhorst does not yet have a Buckeye offer but he remains a player that is being closely watched by the Ohio State staff. He said that because of the big-game atmosphere and the unexpected loss, he didn't get much of a chance to talk with the Buckeyes' coaches.
"Gamedays are very busy for those coaches," he added. "So I wasn't able to get a chance to talk to Ed Warinner, but I wasn't expecting to."
As a recruit, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Bockhorst said that his visit wasn't impacted by the surprising loss.
"When you play in a conference as strong as the Big Ten, you are going to lose a game eventually," Bockhorst told 11W. "Nobody is perfect. Obviously the mood is different after a loss and you won't have the opportunity to go in the locker room and watch (that team) celebrate but I don't think the loss negatively influenced the quality of my visit. It was a hard fought game and that is the type of football I came to see. Sometimes you come up one or two plays short and I know how that feels."
