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.
WADING IT OUT
We've talked at length about Ohio State's recruitment of Jacksonville, Florida, Trinity Christian Academy cornerback Shaun Wade, who committed to the Buckeyes in January 2015. And all things considered, many believe the 6-foot-1, 177-pounder will ultimately flip to Alabama when he makes a final decision in late November.
Wade's father, Randy, said earlier this month that his son would take official visits to 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.
The Crimson Tide were inauspiciously left out at the point, but the elder Wade told BamaOnLine ($) on Wednesday they'll be making a trip to Tuscaloosa this fall.
“We definitely are going to go for a visit,” he said. “At first, it was going to be for the Auburn and Alabama game, but we have to change that because I have family coming in for Thanksgiving. We gotta go back and look. We're going to do something a little bit early. I have to look at the schedule and see. So were are definitely going to go for a visit. Everybody has been talking to [head coach] Nick Saban and we like it, of course. We just want to go up there and see what they've got.”
Ohio State, meanwhile, seems to be confident in its standing, allowing Wade to take official visits elsewhere despite his commitment.
“They definitely don't mind,” Randy Wade said. “It's almost like having a relationship. You've committed to somebody, but you want to make sure you're doing the right thing. So you go see what the other teams that are attractive to you have. To be, it would be insane to just meet somebody and marry them without seeing what else is out there.”
Third-ranked cornerback and No. 18 player overall for the Class of 2017, according to 247Sport Composite, is also expected to visit Florida, after which he will either reaffirm his commitment or decide to take his talents elsewhere.
PRYOR COMMITMENT
Looking up at the Buckeyes in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings, Alabama is looking to close the gap by flipping another Ohio State defensive back commit. Four-star safety Isaiah Pryor recently told Dawg Nation the Crimson Tide are recruiting him “as hard as [they] possibly can.”
The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder from Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy pledged his services to Ohio State in July 2015, and has given no indication of having interest in any other programs. He is currently scheduled to take only one official visit this fall when the Buckeyes host Michigan.
If Pryor follows Wade's lead and takes a visit to Tuscaloosa — or anywhere else for that matter — then things may get interesting. But until then, Ohio State fans can catch a glimpse of Pryor and commit Marcus Williamson when IMG, USA Today's No. 4-ranked team in the country, travels to Loganville, Georgia, this Saturday to take on Grayson High as part of the 2016 GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff.
Four-star Grayson cornerback Jamyest Williams is also set to announce his college decision prior to the game. Williams included Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee among his top five schools in early July, but he is expected by most Crystal Ball prognostications to choose the Gamecocks.
ADDING TO THE NOISE
It's sometimes hard to put much stock in prospects from outside the current recruiting cycle trimming their list of prospective colleges considering the possibility that they field offers down the road.
For example, four-star tight end Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst, New York, named Ohio State one of 13 finalists earlier this month — despite the fact National Signing Day 2018 is more than a year and a half away — and then expanded his list to 14 when UCLA offered on Wednesday.
Very excited to receive my first #Pac12 offer from UCLA!!! #8clap #GoBruins #Top13#Top14 pic.twitter.com/aEqkydoXtq
— Ruck (@Jeremy_Ruckert1) August 24, 2016
The Bruins now join Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee and Wisconsin in the race for the second-ranked player in the state of New York and No. 6 tight end in the Class of 2018.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, you may recall, made a trip to Friday Night Lights last month during an eight-day voyage that included stops in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Tallahassee, Florida; Athens, Georgia; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ruckert is expected to make another unofficial visit this fall when Ohio State hosts Michigan.
BK BK, NEW YORK NEW YORK
Ohio State has expanded its footprint in the greater New York City area in recent years, most notably landing Brooklyn Erasmus Hall's Curtis Samuel in 2014 and Jahsen Wint in 2016. Another Dutchmen that fans should get to know is 2018 wide receiver Sean Ryan, who will undoubtedly field more offers during his junior season.
“I have offers from Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Maryland, Syracuse and Rutgers,” he recently told 247Sports. “Outside of that, I've been getting a lot of Penn State attention. Pittsburgh is another one. And I'm still hoping for Ohio State. That's the dream school.”
The Buckeyes currently have extended offers to five wideouts from the Class of 2018, all considered four- and five-star prospects by 247Sports Composite. Ryan, meanwhile, is rated a three-star recruit and the No. 501 overall player in the country.
SAFETY DANCE
I mentioned earlier in the week that five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah is set to take an official visit to Oklahoma when Ohio State is in town on Sept. 17.
And though the Sooners seem to be the No. 1 threat to the Buckeyes landing the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder from Grand Prairie, Texas, Okudah told 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong that Urban Meyer and Co. have built up a great rapport with him and his family.
“Coach Meyer and the staff have done a good job of recruiting everybody around me,” he said. “When everyone is feeling comfortable about it, it makes me feel a little more comfortable about my decision”
South Grand Prairie (Texas) five-star DB Jeffrey Okudah has top of the NFL Draft talent: https://t.co/zRZDSBEIbK #Oklahoma #OhioState
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) August 24, 2016
“I talk to Urban Meyer a lot,” Okudah added. “I've talked to his wife before, so it's been an all-out recruitment.”
Okudah has more than 30 scholarship offers, but narrowed down his top choices to Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC in early July.
