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.
WAKE ME UP WHEN SEPTEMBER BEGINS
College football's fall evaluation period began at 12:01 a.m., meaning that prospects from all over the country woke up this morning with their direct message inbox full of personalized recruiting graphics.
Today not only marks the first day coaches can send direct messages to members of the Class of 2018, but also the date that coaches can begin making one phone call per week to prospects in the current recruiting cycle.
Going to be sliding into the DMs at midnight like... pic.twitter.com/q4YXP51swe
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) September 1, 2016
Ohio State immediately reached out to prospects like Fairfield offensive tackle Jackson Carman and Florence, South Carolina, defensive end Xavier Thomas, who shared their personalized graphics on Twitter.
Already know OSU came with the heat #BuckeyeNation #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/ywfMidE5Sm
— Jackson Carman (@Jackson_Carman) September 1, 2016
Wooo that looks nice Ohio State Fans, What Y'all think ?? #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/uzg36CzUHX
— Xavier Thomas 19 (@atxlete) September 1, 2016
Thomas, whom the Buckeyes offered back in March, told 247Sports ($) that more than 30 schools contacted him this morning.
“It's crazy,” he said.
Programs like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma and USC also reached out to the 6-foot-3, 249-pounder. But, the best strong-side defensive end and No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 said Ohio State is one of his top choices.
He expects to make it up to Columbus for a game this fall.
“[I'll] set a date soon,” Thomas said.
THAT FLORIDA SPEED
Ohio State offered five-star Xavier Williams in August, knowing well the 6-foot, 180-pounder from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Hollywood, Florida, would be one of the most recruited players in the Class of 2018. When the clock struck 12, Williams was apparently the first prospect a number of coaches contacted.
“He received direct messages from Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU, Clemson and Kentucky just after midnight,” said 247Sports National Recruiting Insider Ryan Bartow.
Ohio State Love pic.twitter.com/m7A3rTkseh
— Xavier Williams (@zayborghini_6) September 1, 2016
Williams is considered the eighth-best prospect in the state of Florida and the No. 36 player overall in his recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. In addition to the aforementioned programs, Williams holds offers from schools like Auburn, Notre Dame, Penn State and TCU.
WIDE RECEIVER U
With recent commitments from five-stars Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey, Ohio State has to feel good about its future at the wide receiver position. And while we must wait at least one more season to see if the pair will be as good as advertised, the Buckeyes have already started to recruit their successors.
On Wednesday, Thompson's Station, Tennessee, four-star wideout Kendrell Scurry announced via Twitter that he had received an offer from Ohio State.
Truly blessed. Another one from The Ohio state University. #zne6 #blessed pic.twitter.com/2n1n01oJAE
— KEN (@D1Scurry) August 31, 2016
The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder from Independence High School in July became the first player from the Class of 2019 to commit to Tennessee, opting to end his recruitment before it ever really got started. He had only one other offer at the time from Toledo.
Enough said #VFL @_Elite3 #elite3 pic.twitter.com/T8Jtuyn826
— KEN (@D1Scurry) July 27, 2016
“Why wait when you know you found the right place?” Scurry told SEC Country. “I'm from Tennessee [and] I wanted to stay at home so my mom could come watch the games. I want to be the hometown here.”
It sounds like Ohio State has quite the uphill battle if it wants to steal Scurry away from the Volunteers. There is still a long way to go in the recruiting process, though, and the 11th-best receiver in the country will certainly receive a number of additional offers before its all said and done.
That said, I wouldn't count the Buckeyes and wide receivers coach Zach Smith out of this one just yet.
SURTAIN STAR
Right before Ohio State extended a scholarship offer last month to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, five-star corner Patrick Surtain II, the 6-foot-2, 181-pounder announced a Top 5 list of Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU and Miami.
On Wednesday, his former NFL Pro Bowler father told 247Sports ($) that the Buckeyes have joined the race.
“He's absolutely looking at Ohio State. It's Ohio State,” he said. “We'll probably try to make it up there for a game. Both coach [Greg] Schiano and coach [Zach] Smith have been down here. And he also talks to coach [Urban] Meyer.”
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound Surtain is considered the top cornerback in the Class of 2018 and has nearly 40 offers in the bag. He isn't expected to make a decision until National Signing Day.
Some Love From Ohio State #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/gnOMTGHVpn
— PS2 (@SurtainJr) September 1, 2016
Ohio State also offered his American Heritage teammate, Tyson Campbell, last month.
