The Hurry Up: Joshua Kaindoh, Trevon Grimes and a Week's Worth of What's Happening

By Jeremy Birmingham on April 24, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Urban Meyer talking to Najee Harris.
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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.

Vacation was fine, thanks for asking. 

I know that some of the topics in tonight's edition of The Hurry Up aren't exactly fresh meat when it comes to recruiting, but I wanted to touch on a few of the bigger stories that have been discussed–or missed–in the last week.

There are a number of stories that are worth discussing, so I'll try and give some insight into those stories.

Let's get to it, huh? 

KAINDOH'S TOP FOUR 

It's a weird time for Ohio State recruiting. The numbers in the 2017 class are very tight, as we've discussed–and as evidenced by some grayshirt speculations, and because of that it's becoming more and more challenging to predict what happens next.

Take for example, the curious case of the IMG Academy's Joshua Kaindoh, who on Wednesday night released his final (top?) four schools via Twitter.

In recent weeks, the five-star defensive end has made a number of visits in Big Ten country, checking out Maryland, Penn State and Notre Dame, so the inclusion of the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Irish on his list isn't a surprise, but the lack of Maryland definitely is. In recent weeks, many believed that the Terrapins had surged into the lead position for the Maryland native–and them being off the list certainly doesn't mean they aren't–so there's now a very interesting uncertainty around Kaindoh.

Going to school in Florida means he's unlikely to be up towards Columbus often, so I think it's worth noting that while he was on his way to Maryland, Penn State and Notre Dame that he didn't get to Ohio State or Michigan, who made the list ahead of the Terps. Couple that with the fact that right now I think the Buckeyes may actually prefer another Maryland defensive end, Chase Young, over Kaindoh, and it's easy to see why there's some skepticism about the Buckeyes' spot on the list.

If I had to pick a team for Kaindoh now, I'd pick Notre Dame –– or Maryland, even though they're not on his list because it seems like a "shell game" to me that they're not. 

If he doesn't commit soon, and if he makes a visit to Ohio State this summer and gets a chance to rekindle his mentorship with Larry Johnson, all bets are off. That said, right now, I'm not buying it.

GRIMES AND FLORIDA AND ALL THE TWITTER DRAMA

It was touched on a bit Sunday morning, but to make clear any confusion regarding Zach Smith's midweek Twitter rant, it was definitely directed at the University of Florida and their pursuit of Trevon Grimes.

Grimes has not been back to Ohio for a visit in two years, and that's not a fact that has been missed by the Ohio State staff or anyone else's as teams, particularly those within Florida's borders, are trying to capitalize on the distance between the two sides. The primary point being hammered home by the Sunshine State schools is a simple, yet usually effective one: Ohio State is too far from your family and you won't get a chance to see mom. Always quick to engage in a Twitter battle, Smith made it a point to respond this point specifically.

Grimes is an Indianapolis native, but he's lived in South Florida for many years now and the challenges of getting any kid to visit Ohio from there are daunting, but even more so when the prospect in question really isn't "into" the recruiting scene. In some ways, the familiarity, as well as the longstanding lead the Buckeyes have had with Grimes, works against them because he has no pressing need to make his way back north. He's seen what he needs to see, knows what he needs to know and has the relationships he needs to have: right now every other school can just take shot after shot at the Scarlet and Gray.

Ohio State, for their part, knows the challenges, and that's their advantage. The relationships they have with Grimes are the reason that the country's second-ranked wide receiver continues to list them as his leader, but it's going to be harder and harder to keep that gap between themselves and the runners-up without a visit this summer, because it's almost a certainty he'll be at Florida, Miami and maybe even Florida State another time or two.

A recruitment that people expected to be finished two years ago now could stretch at least into the fall, and it's not going to get easier.

SHAUN WADE AND THE CRYSTAL BALLS FOR ALABAMA

First and foremost: don't freak out about the latest "run" of 247Sports.com crystal ball predictions regarding Ohio State 2017 commitment, five-star cornerback Shaun Wade. 

There are, currently, five predictions for Wade, and none of them are in Ohio State's favor, which isn't entirely surprising considering that–thanks to his early commitment to the Buckeyes–you can't actually pick Ohio State now if you wanted to. That's not how the crystal ball system works, you're incapable of picking the team a player is actually committed to. There have been four recent predictions for Wade, but the last two, from a Florida writer and an Alabama writer, have been in the favor of the Crimson Tide.

Florida, Alabama, USC, and UCLA have received recent visits from Wade, who continues to tour the country with his basketball team, and 247Sports.com's Steve Helwagen caught up with the Jacksonville Trinity star in Indianapolis Saturday to talk about recruiting.

If you don't care to watch the full video, the important thing to note that is that Wade, who committed to Ohio State in January of 2015, told Helwagen that the Buckeyes will "always be his No. 1." 

Fans aren't going to always like it, but this is the majority of today's recruiting and if you look–as we've said before–at it from a different angle, namely that 95 percent of committed players aren't doing anything but saving their spot while they explore their options, it will get a bit easier to stomach. It can be especially challenging when you see a player, who has been committed to "your" school for 16 months representing your arch-nemesis on social media.

In fact, if you review Wade's Twitter account, you'd find it difficult to believe he had any affiliation with Ohio State. It's littered with Alabama stuff, Florida stuff, etc. However, the Buckeyes are the school he committed to and, much like Grimes, the coaching staff isn't naive about their standing with him and they certainly are not being complacent as they recruit him. 

Wade's last visit to Columbus was last summer–he was unable to make any in-season treks–and he intends to get back up north this summer. Visits are not the only thing that matter, as relationships thrive beyond them, but a refresher course with Ohio State and the chance to talk with Urban Meyer, Greg Schiano, Kerry Coombs and others in person certainly could help solidify Wade's decision, as long as he's still committed to the Buckeyes by the time that visit happens.

SIBLEY, AND THE SPARTANS

Let's just make it clear, it's very unlikely that Todd Sibley, who pledged to the Buckeyes last winter, remains committed to Ohio State all the way through signing day unless Ohio State–or he–has a change of heart about grayshirting.

Saturday, Sibley made the first of what is sure to be a number visits to schools not named Ohio State as he looks for an eventual landing spot. Interestingly, as the Spartans offered approximately 5,000 Ohioans, Sibley was not one of them (though fellow running back Weston Bridges – a cousin of Sibley – was).

Recruiting is an ugly game and it's clear that right now, it's weighing heavy on Sibley's mind.

Sibley's 247Sports.com profile page lists four scholarship offers, including the one from Ohio State. Michigan, Kentucky and Akron are listed, though it's likely he's added others in the past year-plus that he's not reported while committed to the Buckeyes. Ohio's eighth-ranked player is in a bit of a precarious situation though, as a handful of the teams he's expressed interest in (Kentucky and Michigan among them) already have a pair of running back pledges. It will be very interesting to see how this one plays out over the next few weeks and months, but ultimately Todd will have to make a tough choice between his lifelong dream of playing at Ohio State or deciding to delay his college enrollment a bit.

As for Michigan State, as noted, they were very active offering Ohio's best players regardless of class Saturday. While the hosted the already offered Amir Riep, Mark Dantonio's program also extended offers to Kings Mill, Ohio offensive lineman Matt Sichterman and Piqua linebacker Darien Clemons from the 2017 class. 

In the 2018 group, the Green and White offered Toledo St. John's athlete Dallas Gant and Pickerington's Xavier Henderson, each of whom was at the Ohio State spring game last weekend. Gant is the top outside linebacker in the country in the 2018 class according to 247Sports.com's early rankings.

Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State and others have made getting into the Buckeyes' backyard early a 2018 priority. Let's see how that plays out for them.

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