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.
VICTOR WORKING HARD, READY TO GET TO COLUMBUS
With fellow 2016 signee Austin Mack already on campus and making major waves in the Ohio State offense, Florida's Binjimen Victor knows he'll have to put in a lot of work to get on the field in Columbus this fall.
"I've been trying to gain weight, to get stronger and get ready mentally," Victor told 11W about his preparation for the next level. "I know coming in as a freshman I have to be ready for any challenges. I'm working lower body, just trying to get faster and more explosive and I've been working on that three to four days out of the week."
Among the challenges Victor will face? Making the big transition from South Florida to Columbus, Ohio. He's watched as Johnnie Dixon, Torrance Gibson and others have made that change and he thinks he's capable of handling it. The most effective way to eliminate the freshman blues? Playing time.
"I'm far from home but I'll get used to that. I made the decision to leave Florida and I love my decision," Victor said. "I don't plan on redshirting. I know I'm going to give 110-percent to earn playing time."
AKERS' TOP TEN LIST
Earlier today, one of the Buckeyes' top remaining targets for 2017, Clinton, Mississippi running back Cam Akers, released his top ten list on Twitter.
The country's second-ranked running back included Ohio State, as you'd expect considering his multiple visits to Columbus, but there's plenty of intrigue among his other top schools. The Buckeyes – like Michigan – already have two running backs committed. He's included Alabama, who has two commitments at running back, though he decommitted from the Crimson Tide months ago.
Perhaps most interesting is how Akers' recruitment underscores the real difficulty in recruiting a player from the south. The Buckeyes, along with Michigan, are two of the preeminent programs in the country, so it's easy enough for them to get on a list like this, but to actually land the player in question? That's a whole different ball of wax. This weekend he'll visit Georgia and Auburn and the programs close to home will always have a built-in advantage, even if a player isn't too sentimentally bound to his home state.
"The thing is," one source said about Southern recruiting. "You know real early if a guy is really interested or just counting offers. (Akers) has been very interested for a while, and if the Buckeyes didn't think they had a real shot, they wouldn't be wasting their time down there. It won't be easy though, no matter how much he likes Ohio State."
BUCKEYES OFFER 2018 DEFENSIVE END
The spring is offer time and the Buckeyes are no exception, they've been active all over the country in these past few weeks and today they were back in New Jersey.
Honored and Humbled to receive my 22nd offer from THE Ohio State University #GoBuckeyes #OH-IO pic.twitter.com/hWgaQytp8r
— Dorian Hardy (@dtheillest1) May 25, 2016
That is defensive end Dorian Hardy, a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder from Montvale. A four-star prospect in the 2018 class, adds Ohio State to a rapidly growing offer list that already includes Bama, Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Penn State and others.
Ohio State has now offered five 2018 defensive ends, all ranked in the top six at their position.
RIVALS CAMP SERIES FULL OF OHIO STATE TARGETS AS TOP PERFORMERS
The Buckeyes are in on a number of the country's best 2017 prospects and this spring most of them were on the recruiting combine/camp trail showing off the skills that make them big-timers.
The Rivals Camp Series has emerged as one of the biggest events on the circuit and the biggest stars, including a number of Ohio State targets, stood out at running back and wide receiver.
At Running Back, it was Cam Akers, Najee Harris, and Pennsylvania's D'Andre Swift who backed up their lofty rankings. Here is some of the praise heaped on that group from national recruiting analysts.
Akers has a remarkable build and looks like a college senior more than a high school senior. Strength and power are big parts of his game, but the quickness and burst he showed in the passing game at the New Orleans camp sets him apart from other power backs. Not only is Akers physically impressive, he may be as versatile a running back as there is in the 2017 class.
Harris, committed to Alabama, visited Ohio State for their spring game.
Harris can do it all. The five-star and second-best player overall in the class has tremendous size, speed, playmaking ability and everything else to set him apart in this running back class. He’s as close of a mix between Derrick Henry and Todd Gurley as they come but he has surprising speed for his size and he catches the ball almost as well as any receiver in this class. Harris is special...
What about wide receiver? The Buckeyes don't have a commitment at the position yet, but they're in the mix for a number of the nation's elite.
Trevon Grimes? He was there and he stood out, as usual.
Grimes managed to stand out of a loaded receiver group in Miami. He lived up to his five-star billing by using his rare blend of size and speed to dominate a camp filled with highly regarded defensive backs. Grimes is a special talent who may not have an equal at the high school level.
What about the country's best slot receiver, Corona, California's Tyjon Lindsey?
Lindsey is virtually unstoppable because he cannot be pressed at the line of scrimmage. He's sudden and quick in his movements and he has excellent hands. Lindsey is a playmaker, so on short passes he can make people miss to gain extra yards. He's a phenomenal route runner, so intermediate routes are no problem.
One of the more underrated players across the country, Deerfield Beach, Florida's Jerry Jeudy was also a star.
Jeudy may have been the camp MVP had Grimes not been in the same group. He’s a prospect that could certainly push for five-star status down the line.
Ohio State may not land all of these players, but they're definitely in the mix for each and it should be an exciting summer as they work towards their decisions.
