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.
THIS WEEKEND'S OFFICIAL VISITS
There is less than a week until signing day, but the Buckeyes, with 22 commitments in their 2016 class, don't seem to be slowing down as the end draws near.
This weekend, Ohio State will host two official visitors–a pair of relatively new names to most followers–in the final weekend of the 2016 cycle.
We mentioned Wednesday that newly offered Virginia athlete K'Von Wallace, who Ohio State offered Tuesday night, was going to consider a trip to Columbus this weekend upon the completion of his official visit to Clemson. That consideration led to a decision: an official with the Buckeyes is scheduled.
A potential late-class addition at defensive back, Wallace is committed to Cincinnati but this week's offers from Clemson, Michigan State and Ohio State certainly have the Bearcats sweating heading into next week. Ohio State will welcome him to their campus this weekend, and whether or not he ends up the class is likely to be determined Monday evening.
Another player that could, believe it or not, end up in Ohio State's class is Nassau Community College offensive lineman Malcolm Pridgeon, a big ol' hoss at 6-foot-8 and 303-pounds; and a player Ed Warinner visited Wednesday night. One source close to the Buckeyes was downright effusive in their praise of Pridgeon, the country's fourth-ranked junior college player originally from Central Islip, New York. The source said he felt this weekend's visitor was a potential starter along the Buckeyes' offensive line next year if he ended up in the class.
Outside of Ohio State, Pridgeon is also interested Baylor, West Virginia, Florida and Rutgers and has taken official visits to Waco, Morgantown and Gainesville.
NO GO ON EBOH
Also on Tuesday, we saw a final two schools for Southlake (Texas) Carroll 2016 defensive back Obi Eboh, a three-star cornerback who had been committed to Texas until last weekend.
Ohio State, who had been recruiting Eboh with a two-pronged approach of Tim Beck and Greg Schiano, was in the final two with Stanford and Eboh worked with the Buckeyes to set up an official visit for this weekend in the hopes of checking out Columbus before making a final decision.
You can scratch those plans.
Congrats to #TheOpening Finals 2015 Alum Obi Eboh on his commitment to #Stanford. #CardClass16 #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/iZjJ3mIHCI
— The Opening (@TheOpening) January 28, 2016
From talking around the decision, it seems that the Buckeyes, who would like to add two more defensive backs if possible in the 2016 class, had to make a tough decision on which players to bring in this weekend. Ultimately, if it came down to it, they may have had a better chance to land the aforementioned K'Von Wallace, who may be a bit more dynamic than Eboh.
Don't expect Ohio State to stay too far away from Southlake Carroll though: 2017 defensive back Robert Barnes, an Oklahoma commitment, was offered by Tim Beck roughly two weeks ago.
MICHIGAN STARTS OHIO INVASION
Michigan's highly-ranked 2016 football recruiting class is going to end up their first in almost a decade without a player from Ohio, but the Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh, who had almost avoided the Buckeye State in the last year, went full-speed ahead Thursday, offering four 2018 prospects from Urban Meyer's backyard. One of those also has an Ohio State offer.
Westerville South's Jaelen Gill, the state's top 2018 prospect, added an offer from Michigan.
I'm glad to say that I've received my 15th offer, from The University of Michigan!! #GoBlue #GoWolverines pic.twitter.com/67mUxJ9Ofi
— Squizzy Squirt (@jaelengill21) January 28, 2016
Despite being a "Buckeye lean," he's likely at some point to end up taking a visit to Ann Arbor. He's visited Tennessee, Michigan State and others in the past, and he'll be at Ohio State this weekend for their exclusive, invite-only underclassmen weekend.
Michigan, along with Penn State and Purdue, also offered Wayne (Huber Heights) L'Christian "Blue" Smith, a 6-foot-5, two-star athlete who plays wide receiver for the Warriors.
Congratulations to 2018 WR LChristian Blue Smith Wayne receiving an offer from the University of Michigan and Purdue University
— Smith (@FootballU4U) January 28, 2016
Ohio State has been all over Smith in the last few months–Urban Meyer was scheduled to meet him earlier this week but was unable to because of weather-related travel issues–and Tim Hinton and Zach Smith have also been in contact. While the Buckeyes have not offered, it'd be almost a shock if they didn't at some point this spring or summer, especially now that Michigan has come through with an opportunity.
The Springfield, Ohio, duo of tight end Leonard Taylor and linebacker Antwuan Johnson, both early four-star prospects, also got the Maize and Blue treatment Thursday. They each have an offer from...Kentucky, as you may expect.
The Buckeyes, with numbers being so tight in 2017 and talent being so good in 2017 and 2018 in Ohio, may find themselves in an unusually precarious situation inside their home state in the next two years. A number of schools, including Michigan, will make their move and do so with the narrative that "Ohio State would rather recruit national kids instead of you," a method that worked wonders for Brady Hoke in the middle-part of his tenure with the Wolverines.
