The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.
HEATING UP
Perhaps the most under-recruited prospect in the state of Ohio because he missed nearly all of the last two years of high school football recovering from compound fractures in both legs, Pickerington Central running back Morgan Ellison, has 10 games this fall to show programs across the country what he can offer.
“I will have to do great the first few games and show colleges that I can play at the highest level,” he told Eleven Warriors. “Breaking both of my legs have made me a stronger person and player. It taught me not to take anything for granted because it can be taken away from you in a matter of seconds.”
The 6-foot, 217-pounder has offers from Ball State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown State, while schools like Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin have all shown interest.
Teams quite simply don't have enough tape at this point to make an offer, but I'm confident after seeing Ellison at Friday Night Lights that a program will get a steal once they pull the trigger.
Ellison recently took a visit to Michigan State, and told Eleven Warriors that he is looking to make it back to East Lansing when the Spartans take on Michigan on Oct. 29. He also plans to take official visits to Kentucky, Ohio State and Toledo.
Osu vs BG
— MORGAN-ELLISON (@MorganEllisonFB) August 20, 2016
Higher-ranked targets from the Class of 2017 would have to go elsewhere in order for Ellison to get an offer from the Buckeyes, but its always been a dream of his to play for the hometown Scarlet and Gray.
“To get an Ohio State offer would be great,” he said. “Me and coach [Tony] Alford have really started to form a great relationship. He is a great coach and has showed me a lot of things that will make my game better. Me and coach [Urban] Meyer have talked a little before Friday Night Lights, but after that camp, he has started to talk to me more and is getting to know me more. And he likes what he sees.”
First Game Saturday Getting the Feel back.. Blessed to be able to play after not playing for 2 years pic.twitter.com/DVFvwuVhV7
— MORGAN-ELLISON (@MorganEllisonFB) August 20, 2016
TALKING ABOUT PRACTICE
How often do two of the country's top college prospects get to line up against each other every day in practice for one of the top high school programs in the country? As detailed by the Florida Times-Union, Ohio State cornerback commit Shaun Wade and his best friend, five-star Florida State wide receiver pledge D.J. Matthews, are afforded such an opportunity for Jacksonville, Florida, Trinity Christian Academy.
The pair were named to The Super 11, the Times-Union's annual list of the top seniors in their coverage area, which notes their friendship and how it pre-dates their days as four- and five-star recruits.
They won four-consecutive city championships, played at Disney World three times for nationals and capped their Pop Warner careers with a 15-0 season and national championship in 2012.
Matthews and Wade went their separate ways early in high school, with the receiver going to First Coast to catch passes from [former Florida State quarterback] De'Andre Johnson, and Wade going to Trinity and plugging in to a star-packed defense. They reunited in 2015 when Matthews transferred to Trinity.
“It does make them a lot better going against each other,” said Trinity coach Verlon Dorminey. “Last year was the first year I got to coach D.J., and having them both in practice, that's a lot of competition. It makes it good for the other kids to see.”
Wade committed to Ohio State in January 2015 but cited Alabama and Notre Dame as fallback options if his pledge were to fall through. He is set to take three official visits this fall: Notre Dame on Sept. 17, when the Fighting Irish host Michigan State; Ohio State on Oct. 8, when the Buckeyes take on Indiana; and Michigan on Oct. 1, when the Wolverines battle Wisconsin.
THREE YARDS AND A CLOUD OF DUST
According to his high school's Twitter page, four-star Missouri City, Texas, offensive guard Barton Clement recently received an offer from Ohio State.
@MarshallBuffs @King_Barton101 just got a HUGE offer from @OhioStateFB @Rivals @TheHoChen @TheOpening @Perroni247 pic.twitter.com/qBwyNYMZS3
— Marshall Buffalos (@MarshallBuffs) August 18, 2016
The 6-foot-2, 304-pounder has 10 offers in addition to the Buckeyes, which includes those from Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, TCU and UCLA. In its list of top 20 recruits from the Class of 2018, TexasHSFootball.com said Clement makes up for his stature with agility and speed.
“He looks to put every defender in the dirt on every single snap.” - Texas High School Football Recruiting Analyst Blain Bradley
Clement is considered by 247Sports Composite rankings to be the fifth-best offensive guard and No. 114 overall player in his class.
NEXT ANTONIO GATES?
Though he hasn't played organized football since the 7th grade, Cleveland Heights tight end/defensive end Tyreke Smith has garnered a lot of attention from Ohio State in recent weeks.
The 6-foot-4, 241-pounder from the Class of 2018 attended a camp in Columbus in June and was back for a visit on Saturday to watch the final practice of camp.
“It was good,” Smith told 247Sports. “Everything they do at practice is so quick. I liked the tempo. Everything was 100 miles per hour. I liked how hard the players play.”
Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse and Toledo have already taken that leap of faith on Smith, but most schools are taking a wait-and-see approach.
“A lot of the top-tier programs want to see me play my first few games,” he said.
Smith is considered by 247Sports Composite as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Ohio and the No. 155 overall prospect in his recruiting cycle.
GOLDEN BOY
Ohio State wrestler Kyle Snyder became the youngest Olympic wrestling champion in United States history on Sunday, beating Khetag Goziumov of Azerbaijan, 2-1, for gold at 97 kilograms.
At one time, it seemed as if Snyder had a promising future on the gridiron. At 5-foot-11 and 225 pounds, he helped lead the Falcons to a 12-0 record in 2011.
Snyder quit football after his sophomore year of high school at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Onley, Maryland, to focus on wrestling, however.
I think he made the right decision.
