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.
#BLESSED
Just hours before he scored two touchdowns in a 63-0 win on Friday night, Cuero, Texas, sophomore wide receiver Jordan Whittington announced that he had received a scholarship offer from Ohio State.
VERY blessed and excited to receive my 10th offer from THE Ohio State University #ZONE6 pic.twitter.com/wBz8VQs8at
— JordanWhittington (@J_Whitt3) September 9, 2016
“It means a lot, especially coming from The Ohio State,” he told Eleven Warriors. “And, being this young, it's truly a blessing to get offered by one of my favorite schools this early.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Whittington is considered the sixth-best athlete and the No. 57 overall player in the Class of 2019 by 247Sports. He has 11 offers from schools like Baylor, Houston, Missouri, Texas A&M, TCU and Texas Tech.
“It's pretty early right now, but [the Buckeyes] are definitely Top 2 as of now,” Whittington said. “I'm sure they will stay there in the future.”
He said he'll try to make it to Columbus as soon as possible, but acknowledged distance will play a factor.
ROSE THAT GREW FROM THE CONCRETE
I mentioned on Friday that Belleville, Michigan, cornerback M.J. Griffin would make his second unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend. The sophomore was more than impressed, even if the weather was less than ideal.
“It was great,” Griffin told Eleven Warriors. “[The school] made a great impression. It's always intense when I go there.”
The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder currently holds offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Iowa State and Toledo, but feels as if the Buckeyes will soon join the running.
“I'm starting to really like Ohio State,” he said. “They are showing possibilities [of offering], but coach [Kerry] Coombs said just keep doing what you're doing and your chance will come.”
Griffin is not yet ranked by recruiting sites but is confident that he's one of the best corners in his class.
“My greatest strength is my cover skills,” he said. “I can cover everybody and anybody.”
Griffin had a big game on Friday night, recording five tackles and an interception in the Tigers' 35-24 loss to Fordson, Michigan.
A great DB catches the ball more than the guy he's covering!! #MJ2019 #bellevillefootball pic.twitter.com/cJ0QSu4XzU
— MJ Griffin (@Biggriff72) September 11, 2016
H-TOWN TAKEOVER
Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy five-star linebacker Dylan Moses announced in June his intentions to take an official visit to Ohio State when it hosts Michigan on Nov. 26. Following the Ascenders' game on Saturday night, Moses told the New Orleans Times-Picayune he's uncertain of his schedule, however.
“One of them is probably gonna change,” he said. “I'm starting to get interested in Houston and talking to the coaches, trying to set something up.”
He didn't say which school he was considering leaving out in the cold, but added that he was looking forward to visiting Texas and Alabama next month.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder also announced on Monday that he will reveal his college decision on Dec. 15.
PSA: My commitment date is set for December 15th, mark your calendars people .
— King oses (@Dylan1Moses_) September 11, 2016
It's worth mentioning that Ohio State linebacker targets Baron Browning and Anthony Hines are set to make their decisions just two weeks prior to Moses on Nov. 29, which I would imagine would play a role in the latter's landing spot.
“It's about the relationship I have with the coaches,” Moses said. “It's not about how good of a team you are. It's about if I can talk to you personally, have deep conversations about my personal life and just be that father figure when I'm away from home.”
A one-time LSU commit, Moses is originally from Baton Rouge.
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa made a short drive on Friday night to Dublin Coffman to watch Fairfield five-star offensive lineman Jackson Carman in person. Meyer wasn't there but one quarter, but did speak with Fairfield coach Jason Krause briefly before the game.
Coach Stud and Coach Meyer coming to watch tonight Vs Dublin Coffman Gotta show out tonight
— Jackson Carman (@Jackson_Carman) September 9, 2016
It's no surprise the Buckeyes checked in when they did, as the top-ranked prospect in the state was set to visit Notre Dame on Saturday.
“It was great,” Carman told 247Sports ($) of his trip to South Bend. “One of the best atmospheres I've been around.”
It doesn't help that Carman's unofficial visit to Ohio State last year was the cold, wet and uninspiring loss to Michigan State.
“Notre Dame is different,” he said, comparing the two schools. “Ohio State is really flash and hype-oriented, which isn't a bad thing. But Notre Dame isn't really about that. They know they're good, they know what they want and they allow the people who know what's best to make their decisions based on what Notre Dame has to offer and not what it's hyped up to be. People who know what they want can resist being affected by the flashiness of other schools.
“Ohio State's flashiness is kind of different, though, because they don't flash rhinestones. They're flashing real diamonds, and anything that they're saying, they can most likely back it up.”
