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.
OHIO STATE PRO DAY "THE MONSTER THAT FEEDS THE MONSTER"
If you follow college football–and you're not currently in a coma, jail cell or a country that hasn't caught up to the wonder of the Internet–you may be aware that Friday, in Columbus, the NFL converged on the campus of Ohio State for the Buckeyes' Pro Day. The event brought all 32 NFL teams, 125 coaches, scouts and player personnel folks, and over 120 media members and live broadcasts from ESPN, NFL.com and BTN, making it truly the place to be in the world of football on this day.
The Buckeyes are expected, according to experts, to have at least eight players drafted in the first 50 picks of the NFL Draft in April.
Two different NFL people said it's a "lock" that at least 8 Ohio State players go in the top 50 picks of this year's draft.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) March 11, 2016
Friday's circus gathering was another look at those dudes, through the eyes of professional football's finest, but more than that, it was one more showcase for Ohio State as a school and a football program.
"Today was a good day for Ohio State," one Buckeye assistant coach shared. "It's good for the guys that are still here, it's good for the guys that are coming in. This is the monster that feeds the monster."
The monster has been alive and well since 2012, when Urban Meyer took the reins at Ohio State. Their recruiting presence has certainly not been lacking in any way, shape or form (they've finished fifth, second, third, seventh and fourth nationally in Meyer's recruiting classes) but the attention being paid to the program now is at a whole new level.
"We have so many eyes on this place right now," another staffer told 11W. "We can't take and won't take shortcuts here and the NFL guys know it and that's one reason why we're seeing so much attention. It translates into recruiting and some of the recent stuff (surprise commitments from players who've never visited, jumping quickly at an offer, etc.) might be a result of that."
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE TIGHT END SITUATION
As mentioned on Wednesday evening, Ohio State offered a new 2017 tight end, Illinois' Jake Marwede, a quickly-rising prospect from Wilmette.
Marwede visited Ohio State the day before, Tuesday, and was offered after the Buckeyes got a chance to see him in person. Impressed by his size and frame and his football intelligence, the offer was not a major surprise and it was followed Thursday night, by an Alabama scholarship being put on the table by Nick Saban. So, succinctly stated: Marwede is blowing up.
Ohio State has offered three tight ends in the 2017 class, Cincinnati's Matt Dotson, Notre Dame commit Cole Kmet and Marwede, signaling that yes, it would like a tight end in 2017, but no, they won't go reaching for just any tight end in 2017.
Dotson is torn between the Buckeyes and a number of schools, including Tennessee, and there are some who believe he's unlikely to follow former teammate Jake Hausmann to Ohio State. Marwede's recruitment is going to accelerate rapidly and that could put Ohio State in a position it would prefer not to be in because it seems there is still some debate about their needs.
We've talked a number of times about numbers, the Buckeyes have six seniors on the roster and have already accepted 13 commitments for 2017, so there's bound to be some roster changeover happening, but with (potentially) four tight ends on the roster in 2017 (Marcus Baugh, A.J. Alexander, Hausmann and Luke Farrell) it seems that they could wait until 2018 before taking another and spend time evaluating Pickerington Central's Trenton Gillison or Cincinnati Moeller's Brendan Bates. Gillison is expected to be a national recruit.
Barring a big year and early NFL-entry by Marcus Baugh or an unexpected transfer, I don't think–at this point–we'll see a tight end in the Buckeyes' class.
DEMETRIS ROBERTSON CHANGING THE GAME?
2016 five-star wide receiver Demetris Robertson, one of the country's most versatile and explosive athletes in last year's recruiting class, has not yet decided where he'll be attending college, but he's definitely still making news.
This week, it was reported that Robertson, who was at one point committed to Alabama, signed a financial aid agreement with Cal and Georgia Tech, meaning that—if he wanted to—he can enroll at either school this summer and, in the meantime, have unlimited contact with each program. The agreement, the same one that allowed midyear enrollees like Jonathon Cooper and Austin Mack to have unlimited contact with Ohio State prior to arriving on campus in January, is not a letter of intent, so Robertson isn't bound to either school but they are to him.
When signing day came and went, Robertson did not sign with any school, choosing to wait until May–when he receives his final standardized test scores–to see if he would be accepted by Stanford. In the meantime, he visited Georgia Tech in late January and is slated to visit Georgia next weekend on an official visit. The deadline to sign a letter of intent is April 1, but Robertson does not intend to sign one anywhere, which is his right and a way to protect himself in the even he gets into Stanford.
While most recruits should not take these measures, for the upper-echelon prospect, it's an interesting idea and one that you may see taking place more and more over the next few years. Because of Robertson's immense talent, almost any school that he shows interest in will take the shot and allow him to sign the FAA. That keeps him clear of the LOI so that if a coach leaves (Stan Drayton situation), or gets fired (like at Illinois), or he just wants to change his mind after signing day (which is a signing period, actually), then he can.
Game-changer?
DON'T OVERLOOK HARRIS, DAVIS, RICHARDSON
We regularly talk about a number of big-time, nationally-known 2017 wide receivers that the Buckeyes are in on and could land, but one source we've talked with says it'd be unwise to ignore the names within Ohio's borders.
"Jaylen Harris, Danny Davis and Javonte Richardson," the source said. "Are a really good group (of wide receivers). In a year like last year or 2015, it'd be a no-brainer to take all three but this year it's hard to say that, but it's not a knock on them. They're all legit."
The 6-foot-5 Harris is the only one of those three receivers with a Buckeyes' offer, but Davis may have the most upside if he can stay healthy enough to compete this summer and in his senior season. Richardson may be the most physically ready to compete at this point of his career, though his versatility and competency playing defense makes him someone who could find his way into the class as an "athlete."
If Ohio State knew they'd have room for 25-27 guys in 2016, I don't think there'd be any doubt that all three, ranked as Ohio's third, eighth and 10th best players respectively, would be Buckeyes.
