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.
BAYLOR FALLOUT
In the event you've spent the day under a rock or sequestered somewhere, Baylor relieved head coach Art Briles of his job today in light of his awfulness. Clearly the students and victims on Baylor's campus are the biggest issue here, but we cover recruiting in this column and so I figured it'd make a least a little sense to discuss how the wackiness in Waco could impact Ohio State.
The simple answer is that it really won't.
Baylor has – as of Thursday – six commitments, but only one that Ohio State has been pursuing, quarterback Kellen Mond, who committed to the Bears last summer. Mond has been actively looking at other options since the spring, and has seemingly moved much closer to the Buckeyes or Auburn than Baylor even prior to today's news.
"I'm not sure how it will affect my recruitment," Mond told 11W. "I definitely committed there because of Art Briles. I won't know or do anything until I talk to my parents more in depth about the situation."
There has been some speculation of Mond making a decision by next Friday, and 11W has been able to confirm as much. That could put Ohio State in an interesting predicament as they have been hoping to get Tate Martell back on campus sooner rather than later.
June could be a very interesting month on the quarterback front.
MARTELL, EMORY JONES GET BUCKEYE VISIT THIS WEEK
Speaking of quarterbacks, Ohio State assistant coach Tim Beck racked up some frequent flyer miles this week, traveling to Las Vegas on Tuesday to see Bishop Gorman's Tate Martell and Dorian Thompson-Robinson and then to Franklin, Georgia, on Wednesday to see 2018 prospect Emory Jones.
Martell recently tweeted that he's going to be arranging some college trips and Beck's visit may have been an attempt to solidify Ohio State's spot in that rotation.
Releasing my top schools soon & my official/unofficial visit dates!
— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) May 26, 2016
Heard County High School and Emory Jones has been a regular stopping point for Beck this spring and it's becoming clearer and clearer that he's the man at quarterback for the Buckeyes in the 2018 class right now.
2018 VIRGINIA LINEBACKER WANTS TO VISIT OHIO STATE
The country's top-ranked 2018 inside linebacker, Virginia's Teradja Mitchell, apparently is interested in visiting Ohio State this summer.
I wanna visit Ohio State
— Teradja Mitchell (@WhosThatNumber7) May 26, 2016
Mitchell, the 18th-ranked player in his class, was offered by the Buckeyes over a year (May 2015) but says there's been little contact recently.
"I haven't really been much in contact with them," Mitchell told 11W. "(Luke) Fickell would be the one I'd talk to. I plan on calling soon. I haven't called any coaches due to my busy schedule with school and football but today's my last day of school."
Over the last year, Mitchell has visited Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and others and says it's the Buckeyes' NFL draft impact that's really caught his eye.
"Fickell develops linebackers," he said. "It is a school that puts players in the draft like it's nothing. I'm very interested in the school."
As for the visit he wants to take? He'd like to do that this summer.
"I haven't really planned it out," he added. "I'm going to try to this summer."
WEST VIRGINIA BROTHERS PLAN JUNE VISIT
A pair of West Virginia brothers who visited Ohio State for the Buckeyes' spring game will be back on campus in Columbus in mid-June.
Blessed With The Opportunities pic.twitter.com/S9ue66xfDV
— Darius Stills56 (@Darius_Stills56) May 25, 2016
Class of 2017 defensive lineman Darius, and 2018 defensive lineman, Dante Stills are Mountaineer legacies but it's clear the duo is interested in getting to know more about the Ohio State program.
Of the two, it's Dante, a 6-foot-4, 265-pounder from Fairmont High School, who appears to be the more likely to ever receive an Ohio State offer. Right now, the four-star prospect holds two offers – from West Virginia and Virginia Tech – but he's likely to gain some national attention this summer.
D'ANDRE SWIFT ELIMINATES BUCKEYES
The losses taken by the Ohio State football staff on the recruiting trail over the last few years have been few and far between but they were dealt one – a minor one all things considered – Wednesday.
Decisions. . . pic.twitter.com/DkustHpsLw
— SWIFT7 (@DAndreSwift) May 26, 2016
That's five-star tailback D'Andre Swift announcing what is likely his final five school choices and, as you can see, Ohio State didn't make the cut.
The Buckeyes have a commitment from two of the country's top-20 running backs in Todd Sibley Jr. and Texas' J.K. Dobbins. Ohio State is also one of the leaders in the pursuit of another five-star back, Clinton, Mississippi's Cam Akers, who released his Top 10 list Wednesday. Akers will make his third trip to Columbus – all in the last year – next weekend.
MATTA OFFERS 2017 GUARD JORDAN GOODWIN
Ohio State's basketball program on the hunt for the next wave of guards and Thursday offered 2017 Belleville, Illinois, native Jordan Goodwin.
Blessed to Receive a offer from Ohio State!!
— JGOOD (@jGoodwin1123) May 26, 2016
Goodwin is a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder who spends his AAU days with the St. Louis Eagles. He has offers from Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue, Illinois and others among his dozen opportunities.
The Althoff Catholic standout is country's 92nd-ranked prospect in the 2017 class.
