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.
MORETTI HIGHLIGHTS, UPDATES HIS RECRUITMENT
On July 4, Arvada, Colorado 2017 offensive lineman Jake Moretti surprised many when he made his college announcement, selecting Ohio State over the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon and others.
Since his commitment, Moretti and his Pomona High School focused on their state title run (they fell just short, losing to rival Valor Christian 29-26 in the final), although the Buckeyes' verbal says he'd seen a few different schools in recent weeks.
"A couple of schools stopped by," Moretti told Eleven Warriors. "Coach Alford stopped by and we caught up for a little while; I keep in good touch with all the Buckeye coaches consistently."
The 6-foot-5 and 280-pound lineman says that he's not really interested in other schools, but he appreciates the time they're putting into recruiting him.
"I just try and be respectful," Moretti said when asked how those conversations with other schools go. "(I) keep it at small talk and just let them know how I stand with the Buckeyes."
The country's 73rd-ranked 2017 prospect was scheduled to visit Ohio State in late November but weather-related flight delays caused a cancellation.
"I've been itching to get back out there," Moretti said. "We'll take the first chance we get."
CORLEY'S ENROLLMENT UP IN THE AIR
Since the summer, the plan has been for Detroit wide receiver Donnie Corley to "commit soon" and then enroll early at whatever school he chose.
After an official visit to Ohio State last weekend, it seems that Corley's attention has–at least temporarily–shifted.
From Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt:
"I had a good time; it was probably my best visit I've been on so far," Corley said. "I got to see a lot of things, watched them practice, see what they need and see the future."
The Buckeyes, for their part, felt similarly about the trip, believing that the wide receiver departed with Ohio State on his mind.
One thing that has been counted on as a positive, that Corley would likely make a college decision during the recruiting dead period and then enroll before it ends, is unfortunately now kind of up in the air. Corley has one class remaining that he needs to finish before he can officially graduate early, and if that doesn't get done soon then he'll enroll in the summer like February signees do.
What that would mean to his recruitment is that for another three weeks–after the dead period concludes–the Buckeyes would need to hold off not only the Spartans, but also Michigan and Notre Dame, each of whom would likely receive an official visit from him if that ends up being the case.
One other thing that could really help the Buckeyes? Landing Dwayne Haskins sometime in the near future. Having a quarterback in the class, especially one that is pass-first and as prodigious as Haskins, would be an attractive situation for any wide receiver.
POTENTIAL LATE-CYCLE DEFENSIVE TACKLES TO WATCH
if you're a "Twatcher" (you know, you watch the Twitter to see who a coach is following to establish/surmise potential interest), then it's hard to ignore the fact that Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson has apparently begun vetting some new potential targets.
Larry Johnson's recent follows include four defensive tackles in the 2016 class.
So, who are these new fellas? Let's look at their highlights and break down their recruitment.
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JAMIL DUKES • 6'4 290 • Mooresville, North Carolina • Highlights
- Dukes has eight scholarship offers (the best being from West Virginia and South Carolina) but he's currently committed to East Carolina. The South Carolina offer happened just a week ago, so he's a player that is getting some late attention.
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MICHAIL CARTER • 6'4 302 • Jackson, Georgia • Highlights
- A Georgia commitment, Carter is the country's 16th-ranked defensive tackle and holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and others. He's a big-time prospect but being from the south and already committed to his home-state school, it seems unlikely that he'd make a change.
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STEPHON TAYLOR • 6'4 292 • New Orleans, Louisiana • Highlights
- As you'd expect, Taylor, a four-star defensive tackle from the Bayou, is expected by most to end up at LSU. That said, he's not committed anywhere yet and the Tigers have two committed defensive tackles already and are the runaway leader for Taylor, Rashard Lawrence and D'Andre Christmas-Giles. Barring something significant happening, it's hard to imagine signing five defensive tackles so either Taylor or Lawrence could be looking elsewhere. Can the Buckeyes capitalize?
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JAMARI LOGAN • 6'4 340 • Norfolk, Virginia • Highlights
- The biggest project of the new names we're watching, Logan is a massive 340-pounder from Virginia and claims offers from North Carolina, Tennessee, Marshall and NC State among his seven. He's been the subject of a Twitter campaign for an Ohio State offer in the last week but if you watch the tape you'll see that he's got a ways to go before he can be considered in the same group as those above.
There are sure to be new names that pop up over the next few weeks, but it's interesting to see how the Buckeyes begin the process of watching a player, examining their personas online, etc. Right now, there's no doubt that Rashard Lawrence is the primary target and he'll continue to be as long as he shows reciprocal interest. The Buckeyes have their work cut out for them, but Lawrence isn't the type to pay lip-service, so it's not entirely out of the picture for Ohio State to fend off LSU and Alabama.
