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.
WINT SAYS RUTGERS VISIT MAY BE NECESSARY
Although he decided on Christmas day to re-open his commitment, a move that many presumed would lead to a quick commitment to Ohio State for Brooklyn, New York 2016 defensive back Jahsen Wint. Wint says that may not be the case and he wants to make sure he's taking a good look at another school that's recently offered: Rutgers.
"I probably will visit Rutgers," Wint told 11W. "Before I make any other decision."
With a 247Sports crystal ball that reads 100-percent to Ohio State, it would be a surprise to see Wint end up anywhere else, but if there's a school that could throw a wrench in the plans, it is Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights new head coach, soon-to-be-former Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash, has been one of the driving forces in Wint's recruitment by the Buckeyes, and he's made it clear that he'd like to continue those efforts in Piscataway. Remember the general rule: nothing is more important in recruiting than relationships.
Rutgers certainly can offer a quicker path to meaningful playing time than Ohio State and, importantly, can do that in a Big Ten environment that is 45 minutes away from home.
A visit to New Jersey would have to happen after January 13th, when the recruiting dead period ends. I'm not changing my crystal ball, but I do think it's worth paying close attention to Wint's timeline for a decision.
COOPER, HAMLIN EARN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS
It's time to clear some space and add another big-time award on the mantle for Ohio State early-enrollee Jonathon Cooper. The five-star Gahanna Lincoln defensive end was named the Defensive Player of the Year in Ohio by USA Today High School Sports.
The consensus top defensive recruit in Ohio, Cooper lived up to the hype this fall with 12 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. A U.S. Army All-American, Cooper will make the short trip from Gahanna to Columbus to play for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes, and names you may very well know, were well-represented on the First Team All-State lists.
Ohio State commitments Todd Sibley (2017), Jake Hausmann (2016), Josh Myers (2017), Jack Wohlabaugh (2016), Jerron Cage (2017), Brendon White (2017), and Drue Chrisman (2016) joined Cooper on the first team list.
Luke Farrell (2016), Gavin Cupp (2016), and Marcus Williamson (2017) were named second team All-Ohio.
Other Ohio State targets and commitments around the country earned similar honors.
2017 Colorado linebacker Santino Marchiol earned first-team honors in The Rocky Mountain State. Nick Bosa (2016) and Shaun Wade (2017) each picked up first-team honors in Florida while Richard LeCounte (2017) and Nigel Warrior (2016) did the same in Georgia. In Illinois, linebacker Tuf Borland (2016) was named first-team as was Ohio State commitment Michael Jordan (2016) in Michigan. Wide receiver target Donnie Corley was named the Offensive Player of the Year in Michigan while Dwayne Haskins, who the Buckeyes hope will be throwing to Corley in the Scarlet and Gray, was named to the first-team in Maryland.
Defensive backs Damar Hamlin (2016) and Lamont Wade (2017) were each selected to the first team in Pennsylvania with Hamlin, the four-star from Pittsburgh, taking home the award for Defensive Player of the Year.
MALIK HARRISON TALK
It's not often that, in Ohio, a player who has waited for a significant period of time for a Buckeyes' offer to not jump immediately on it but it's been almost a month now since Ohio State offered Walnut Ridge athlete Malik Harrison, and he's still on the market, officially.
What's the hold up? Is there a disconnect between the sides? Nope, just a matter of timing and Harrison getting an opportunity to make his official visit to Ohio State, sources say. He's a highly-regarded basketball prospect who has not had the opportunity, because of the aforementioned dead period, to meet with the Buckeyes coaching staff and take an official to Ohio State, although he did take trips to Wisconsin and Indiana in October and November.
There are some questions about where Harrison's athleticism would most help out a college football program, but the Buckeyes think he can make a difference at linebacker. That's where they see his future if he elects to spend the next four years at Ohio State. If you want a peek into his explosion, check out this video.
Slight work after practice pic.twitter.com/GCtZQuui0G
— Leek (@Leek_8) December 30, 2015
UPDATES FROM THE UNDER ARMOUR ALL-AMERICAN GAME
Day two of practices were underway today for the Under Armour All-American Game, and some Big Ten commitments and targets continued their strong showings. Penn State has been well-represented as running back Miles Sanders, defensive end Shane Simmons, and offensive lineman Michael Menet were all listed among the top performers.
With both Kareem Walker and Sanders playing for the Team Highlight squad, we expected comparisons to be flowing all week. For the second day in a row, it would appear that things didn't go so well for the Wolverines' newest commit.
Michigan commit Kareem Walker had a less than stellar day for the second straight practice. Walker does not have the same running instincts that Miles Sanders, the other running back on Team Armour, shows. Walker continues to run timidly. Via
Buckeye cornerback target Carlos Becker continued his strong play, earning his fourth star while being listed as a top-five defensive performer for Team Highlight. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defender is still scheduled to visit Ohio State on January 22nd. It appears that Florida State and North Carolina State are the biggest competition right now, but with a late January official scheduled to Ole Miss, you never know what will happen.
Dwayne Haskins didn't have his finest day as the Maryland commit was putting some nice zip on the ball but struggled with his accuracy. Per 247sports.com's Tom Loy: "Things didn’t flow as natural for him as they did on day one. He still made some nice throws with a ton of zip, but had a few interceptions on the day."
The four-star was asked how he felt about being listed as a pocket passer for the event:
The mentality pic.twitter.com/UQnq10KSMr
— Smooth (@dh_simba7) December 30, 2015
To no one's surprise, Rashan Gary was listed as the day's most-dominant performer as he rotated back and forth between defensive tackle and edge rusher.
Rashan Gary bats it down and then runs over Dwayne Haskins pic.twitter.com/tYd5jVL6QA
— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) December 30, 2015
