The Hurry Up: Emory Jones' Mother and the Buckeyes, Carman Makes Midweek Visit, Gillison Working for Buckeye Offer

By Jeremy Birmingham on June 15, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Trenton Gillison at Ohio State on Tuesday
Trenton Gillison
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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.

JONES' MOTHER IMPRESSED BY MEYER, BUCKEYES

We talked a little bit about how Emory Jones' visit to Ohio State went Tuesday night and again this morning, but I got a chance to catch up with the Georgia four-star quarterback and went a little more in-depth about his trip. Suffice to say, the Buckeyes – who Jones said are "probably his leader" – made a big impression on him.

"It was actually better than I expected," Jones said of the trip, for which he had extremely high expectations. "Everything was on point or better than I thought it'd be."

In recruiting, it's important to catch the attention of a prospect, but making sure his family feels good about your school and football program is just as important. The Buckeyes' staff – and Urban Meyer – really stood out to Jones' mother.

"She absolutely loved (Urban Meyer)," Jones said. "He never left my side and him just being him, she thought that was amazing. This was the only school that actually sat down with us one-on-one with the academic advisors and she loves the whole program. She met a lot of players' parents and she loved that."

Jones himself said the visit felt comfortable for him, which is an important piece of the puzzle for a player from a small town coming to a campus like Ohio State. He spent much of his time on Monday, the first day of his visit, just getting to know the guys in the football program.

"On Monday, I just met all the coaches and went all around the campus. We went out to eat and then went to chill with the players and watch the NBA game. I went out to eat with J.T. Barrett and Steven Collier, and I watched the game with Austin Mack and Dwayne Haskins. The thing that stood out the most was everyone up there gets along. It's all about family up there and I feel like that's what I'm going to need being that far away."

On Tuesday, Jones' day was a little more work and a little less talk. He worked out for the Buckeyes in the morning and then again in the afternoon, being watched intently by up to four different Ohio State assistants at a time.

"Working out in front of them all was cool," Jones added. "They were saying they want me to be their quarterback and the first 2018 commit so I can recruit my class. To be the leader, and that's something that I want."

Jones is visiting Clemson Wednesday and will see Tennessee this weekend, but in between those trips he'll get a chance to see Ohio State again. He'll attend a satellite camp at Lawrenceville (Georgia) Central Gwinnett High School on Thursday that will be attended by Urban Meyer, Tim Beck and others.

A decision on his college future is coming, but he's going to have to evaluate everything next week after he finishes the visits he's had planned.

"After these visits I'll sit and figure it all out," Jones said regarding a potential commitment. "I'll have to see after I take these visits."

CLARK VISITS OHIO STATE

Three days ago, Ohio State added Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 2017 quarterback Tate Martell to their top-ranked recruiting class. Martell was on campus with the Buckeyes for the second time since March and became the second quarterback in the class, joining Danny Clark, who has been committed since December of 2013. Clark was on campus at Ohio State today.

In a small recruiting class, there are a number of people who believe that there's absolutely no way the Buckeyes could sign two quarterbacks this coming February, although we here at 11W have been beating that drum for months. It seems that right now there's no plan for Clark to make a move – and if he does I can assure you it will be done quietly and without much fanfare – but the Akron quarterback, much like Martell, isn't afraid to compete if he's given the opportunity. One school to watch if Clark were to look around may be Pittsburgh, especially with their addition of Todd Sibley Wednesday.

In the past few months, Clark and his family have handled an incredibly difficult time with pure class, and they continue to do just that. The country's 15th-ranked pro-style quarterback has been a major part of building the Buckeyes' recruiting class, and that's not something Ohio State is taking lightly. 

JACKSON CARMAN MAKES BUCKEYE VISIT

Another candidate to become Ohio State's first 2018 commitment is Fairfield, Ohio, offensive lineman Jackson Carman, the country's second-ranked offensive tackle and 20th-ranked overall prospect in that class. Last night, Carman announced on Twitter he'd be back in Columbus Wednesday to see the Buckeyes.

Carman has been on campus with Ohio State a number of times in the last few months, including a visit for the Buckeyes' spring game in April. The visit went very well according to this tweet from the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder.

Carman's visits to Columbus are important, but it's a visit Ohio State made to see him last week that's one of the more telling items about how valuable he is to the Buckeyes' 2018 recruiting plans.

Michigan sent a large percentage of their coaching staff to a satellite camp at Fairfield a week ago, but Jim Harbaugh was in New Jersey delivering a commencement speech at Paramus Catholic, so Meyer showing up was a deft maneuver.

The Wolverines already have a commitment from two of Ohio's top-10 players in the 2018 class and Meyer and the Buckeyes weren't going to risk Carman being swept up in the Maize and Blue's satellite tsunami.

GILLISON SEES ROOM TO IMPROVE, ENJOYS TIME WITH OHIO STATE STAFF

One of the more interesting and closely watched prospects at Ohio State's Tuesday one-day camp was Pickerington's Trenton Gillison. The 6-foot-5 tight end was a major focus for Ed Warinner and Zach Smith throughout the day and he says the experience with the Buckeyes was a good one.

"I felt amazing," Gillison said. "There are still some things I need to improve on, but working with (Ed) Warinner was good."

After the camp, Gillison was able to sit down once again with Urban Meyer and discuss where things stand with the Buckeyes. He also visited the Ohio State head coach last Monday as the two continue to get to know each other better.

"It went really well," he said of the visit with Meyer. "He told me to keep focusing on the field as well in the classroom and to keep getting stronger and faster."

There's no offer on the table yet, but Gillison intends to be back in front of the Ohio State staff later this summer. Until then, it's just about working to get better.

"I will take the skills that Warinner taught me and what coach Meyer told me that I need to improve on," Gillison added. "I'll be back for Friday Night Lights."

STONEBURNER TAKING HIS TIME, WAITING FOR BIG OFFER

Meyer had a nice message for Dublin Coffman 2017 wide receiver/tight end Caleb Stoneburner following the Buckeyes' camp Tuesday afternoon.

"I sat down with Urban Meyer after camp," Stoneburner, the younger brother of former Buckeye Jake, told 11W.  "We were talking about numbers and he said 'if we had 25 scholarships this year, you would already have an offer,' but with the numbers being tight he just told me to be patient."

Ohio State and a number of other schools were impressed by the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder's performance. He's added an offer from Ohio and Boston College in the last 24 hours following a big-time camp that saw him clock in with a 4.46 in the 40-yard-dash.

"I haven't felt that good in a while," Stoneburner said. "It was good to get back out there. Ohio State was really impressed. I worked with both the wide receivers and the tight ends, but in the future I see myself as a tight end and I know that's what Urban Meyer wants to me to play."

With 12 scholarship offers, Stoneburner has options but he's going to let things play out for a bit and see if numbers can shake out for a chance at a school like Ohio State. He's considered committing to reserve a spot in a class somewhere, but he's not ready to do that yet.

"I've thought about (committing) a little bit," Stoneburner said. "With so much up in the air though, I think I'm just gonna play it out."

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