The Hurry Up: Are Network Camps Worth It, Ambry Thomas' National Recruitment and More

AMBRY THOMAS THINKING NATIONALLY?

Detroit Martin Luther King Jr. High School sent its top two players from 2016–Donnie Corley and Lavert Hill–to Michigan State and Michigan, respectively. The state champions' top returning player, defensive back Ambry Thomas, may very well stay close to home, but he's still considering a more national approach.

“I think I want to get away," Thomas told Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt. "Go far (for college) and create my own path.” 

Thomas, the cousin of Detroit Cass Tech's Jaylen Kelly-Powell, was offered by Ohio State last summer and made two trips to Columbus since last July. He's one of a handful of players in the Detroit area that will be a priority for Kerry Coombs in the 2017 class.

"I actually talked to him (Sunday)," Thomas told Eleven Warriors. "He reminds me of my head coach."

The country's 13th-ranked cornerback, Thomas has added offers from Oklahoma, South Carolina, Auburn and Nebraska in recent weeks and it could be that a desire to look nationally is a byproduct of those national programs looking at him.

Ohio State has a handful of defensive backs very much in the mix for 2017, and Thomas continues to be one of the possibilities.

IS IT BETTER TO GET TO COLLEGE CAMPS OR NETWORK EVENTS? 

Sunday, the first of 14 The Opening regional camps, this one in Orlando, saw seven of the country's best players–including two future Buckeyes–earn a trip to Nike's prestigious July camp on their Beaverton, Oregon, campus.

The Nike events are just one in a handful of camps that have been created in recent years that provide a fresh dose of exposure to high school kids looking for recruiting coverage. Unfortunately, as the popularity of these events grow, attendance certainly grows with it and many of the attendees are nothing more than a number lost in the shuffle. With no college coaches in attendance, the "stars" that come out to these events are often identified ahead of time and for the "Average Joe" who comes out to try and turn heads, it's nothing more than a waste of time.

A waste of time that is still consistently talked about, mentioned hundreds of times on Twitter and ends up on ESPNU. The exposure, the chance to become a "national name," is incredible and alluring.

But it's not for everyone, and most high school players are better off spending their time preparing now for college camps in the summer, where they could meet and talk with dozens of people who can do more than write about them: they can actually offer scholarships.

Last week, we chatted briefly with Columbus St. Frances de Sales defensive tackle Derrius Mullins, a three-star prospect who, like many Ohio natives, Ohio State would like to see up-close at one of their one-day college camps this upcoming summer. Unfortunately, it appears that Mullins will not give the Buckeyes–and subsequently himself–that opportunity.

"I decided to not attend any college camps this year," Mullins told 11W. "I'm going to the Rivals and (Nike's) The Opening camps."

For a player like Mullins, who has nearly a dozen scholarship offers already, the chance to "blow up" nationally in the eyes of analysts and talent evaluators–people who are paid attention to by coaches across the country–carries more weight in his eyes (at this point) than the chance to be seen by just the Buckeyes. Whether or not that's right or wrong is entirely subjective of course, but with so many eyes on the national events, it's hard to say it's the wrong choice for the already known-about player.

However, if you're a kid looking for your first opportunity and are not a national or even a regionally known name? Take the time, sign up for the college camps around you and get to work: that's where you'll make your money. If you blow the minds of a college coach during a school's camp, your name will get out there because believe it or not, the communication between both sides–college staffs and recruiting "analysts"–is a two-way street.

RIVALS UPDATES TOP 100

As their rivals at 247Sports.com did last week, Rivals.com is updating their recruiting rankings and today released the latest 2017 Top 100. As expected–they do have the country's top-ranked 2017 class–a number of Buckeyes' commits and targets are on the list, though most of Ohio State's currently committed group finds themselves outside of the Top 100.

• No. 10  • Josh Myers • OL • Ohio
• No. 18 • Shaun Wade • DB • Florida
• No. 65 • Isaiah Pryor • DB • Georgia

If Urban Meyer and his coaching staff get their way, however, there will be many more names added to the list. Here are the new rankings for their top remaining targets, including new Rivals.com five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Here are the five-star targets:

• No. 2 • Najee Harris • RB • California
• No. 3 • Trevon Grimes • WR • Florida
• No. 4 • Josh Kaindoh • DE • Maryland
• No. 5 • Isaiah Wilson • OL • New York
• No. 8 • Lamont Wade • DB • Pittsburgh
• No. 9 • Jeffrey Okudah • DB • Texas
• No. 13 • Donovan Peoples-Jones • WR • Ohio
• No. 15 • Darnay Holmes • DB • California

The Buckeyes are also heavily involved with many of the four-stars in the Top 100:

• No. 23 • Cam Akers • RB • Mississippi
• No. 27 • Tyjon Lindsey • WR • California
• No. 32 • D'Andre Swift • RB • Pennsylvania
• No. 56 • Robert Hainsey • OL • Pennsylvania
• No. 73 • JK Dobbins • RB • Texas
• No. 78 • Jeff Thomas • WR • Illinois
• No. 81 • Aubrey Solomon • DT • Georgia
• No. 83 • Chase Young • DE • Maryland
• No. 89 • Luiji Vilain • DE • Virginia
• No. 91 • Fred Hansard • DT • New Jersey
• No. 93 • Jordan Anthony • LB • Maryland
• No. 100 • David Adams • LB • Pennsylvania

If the Buckeyes are able to get their class size to 20 or so in 2017, it's not that difficult to envision them finally winning a national recruiting "championship" next February.

WADE TALKS TO BLEACHER REPORT

Thought he didn't participate in Sunday's The Opening regional in Orlando, Ohio State commit Shaun Wade did show up (reportedly wearing Georgia shoes?), likely to make sure that he's eligible for an "at-large" selection for the Nike folks come July. 

While he nursed a minor leg injury, Wade did get some camera time and talked to a number of outlets about his recruitment.

From BleacherReport.com:

The five-star cornerback also talked to Scout.com:

Wade continues to insist that he's "100 percent" committed to the Buckeyes, but he will continue to make visits around the country, including an upcoming trip to Alabama.