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.
IN THE TRENCHES
With Cincinnati Winton Woods' Jerron Cage and Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman's Haskell Garrett already in the fold, defensive tackle isn't of dire need for Ohio State. Nevertheless, the Buckeyes are still in the race for four-star South Jordan, Utah, defensive tackle Jay Tufele, who announced on Twitter this morning that he'll be trimming his list in the near future.
Top 5 coming soon....
— Jay Tufele (@tufele123) August 29, 2016
Tufele has unfortunately been sidelined this season after an MRI revealed ligament damage to his foot. Bingham coach John Lamboure told The Salt Lake Tribune the injury, which occurred while he was participating at Nike's The Opening in July, is not believed to be season-ending.
Lamborne also said the coaching staff and medical personnel are taking extra precautions before inserting Tufele back into competition because Lamborne believes he has a legitimate opportunity to start as a true freshman in college next season. That means Tufele will need to be fully-healed for spring practices in April at the earliest.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pounder is considered the top player in the state of Utah, recording 120 tackles and 16.5 sacks in two varsity season with the Miners. He holds 21 offers from schools like Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, Virginia and Washington, but things have been relatively quiet in terms of visits.
Even though Tufele has yet to take a trip to Columbus, I'd expect Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Utah — which is a mere 20 minutes from Tufele's hometown — to make final five. And with the recent decommitment of four-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon, the Wolverines are a definite threat.
SEMINOLE WAR
For weeks now, it has seemed as if the recruitment of Clinton, Mississippi, five-star running back Cam Akers would come down to Ohio State and Ole Miss. However, things look as if they're starting to trend toward Florida State.
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound running back was in Tallahassee earlier this month and is set to take an official visit when Clemson comes to town on Oct. 29. It will mark Akers' third visit this year.
“I have a good time every time I go,” Akers told Warchant.com ($) after the visit. “I have a good time every time I go. I feel very comfortable there. I can definitely say I feel like it's a home away from home."
Ohio State remains in a good spot overall, but the Buckeyes shouldn't be looked at as the front runner until they get him on campus for an official visit this fall. I'd also watch for LSU to get in the mix as things unfold.
As a side note, five-star safety target Jeffrey Okudah — who listed the Seminoles in his Top 6 this summer — is also expected to be in attendance when Florida State hosts Clemson.
SLINGING IT
Fans will have to wait a while to see Ohio State's most recent commit in action, as MaxPreps is reporting (link only works on mobile) that Bishop Gorman five-star wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey will be out six weeks with a broken collarbone. The injury occurred during the Gaels' preseason scrimmage against Liberty High School.
Top-ranked Bishop Gorman certainly didn't need the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder in its nationally televised blowout of Cedar Hill, Texas, on Saturday night, but looming matchups with Cocoa, Florida, and No. 8 St. John Bosco of Bellflower, California, will be that much more difficult without him.
The thinking around the program is that Lindsey will be back in time for the Gaels' Sept. 30 game against Fort Lauderdale, Florida, St. Thomas Aquinas, which features Ohio State pledge Trevon Grimes. The pair announced their commitment together in pretty unique way, and the chance to play against a friend and future teammate has to be important to Lindsey.
MOUNT DAVIS
I must say it's pretty cool when top high school programs travel across the country to play a team in another state, as it gives players and their parents exposure to a region they may have never visited and allows colleges that aren't necessarily nationally known to see some of the premier talent in person.
Take St. John Bosco, for example, which flew from California to take part in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown in Cincinnati on Friday.
The game was none too exciting — the Braves easily dispatched of St. Xavier, 34-0 — but it gave the parents of offensive guard commit Wyatt Davis a chance to check out Ohio State for themselves.
“My mom [hadn't been to campus] yet, so she went up there and saw it,” Davis told 247Sports ($).
Though Davis wasn't able to make the short trip up Interstate 71, he said the experience is one that will help get him ready for the next step in his career.
“It was great,” Davis said. “The humidity, I know I'll have to get used to that a little bit because I'm not used to the Cali weather … the weather wasn't too bad.”
Davis, like a few other commits this past weekend, got banged up in the first quarter of the game and suffered a sprained ankle. He showed no lingering signs of the injury, though, and removed a defender from the play just a few minutes later in one of the most vicious pancakes I have ever seen.
"I pray to God I look my killer in his eyes. Snatch his soul out his shirt lets take him for that ride" pic.twitter.com/lXlJvgYpQV
— Wavy Dub (@wyattdavis53) August 30, 2016
The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Davis picked Ohio State over offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, UCLA and USC.
“I just felt like that program is definitely a program where I could truly develop as a man and as a football player,” he said. “All the stuff that coach [Urban] Meyer talks about with helping guys if football doesn't work out really stood out to me.”
