The Hurry Up: Ohio State Offers Michigan Legacy, Kerry Coombs Protects Flag in the State up North and Five-Star Targets Honored by U.S. Army All-American Bowl

By Andrew Lind on September 22, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Will Mallory
Will Mallory
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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.

DIDN'T STOP THE BOREN FAMILY

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs do not lack confidence when it comes to recruiting the state of Michigan. And while getting a highly coveted prospect to leave his home state is one thing, going against a long lineage of Wolverines is certainly another.

That said, Ohio State offered Jacksonville, Florida, Providence tight end Will Mallory on Thursday night despite facing such an uphill battle.

Mallory's father, Mike, and uncles, Doug and Curt, all played at Michigan in the 1980s. Mike, the current special teams coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is a former teammate of Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder is considered the 11th-best tight end in the Class of 2018. He has more than 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Boston College, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Southern California.

Michigan was the first to offer Mallory last spring.

“It's definitely a really good feeling, especially since my uncles and my dad all played there,” he told Scout.com in an interview shortly thereafter. “You can't get a better feeling than having your favorite team offer you.”

TRAIL OF WOLVERINE TEARS

Speaking of planting flags up north, Coombs spent his Thursday morning just one mile from Michigan Stadium.

Coombs was at Ann Arbor Pioneer to speak with linebacker commit Antjuan Simmons, as there's been plenty of speculation about his commitment status. Though the staff is in pursuit of five-star linebacker Baron Browning and four-star Anthony Hines, showing Simmons that he remains a priority is of the utmost importance.

ROAD GRADER 

Fairfield five-star offensive lineman Jackson Carman gets all the headlines for his ability to maul defenders, but a similar in-state prospect has heard a lot from Ohio State in recent months.

“Coach [Greg] Studrawa and I text a lot,” Portsmouth Sciotoville East's Blaine Scott told Landof10. “I'll visit for Michigan and probably another game, but I don't know yet. This Saturday, I'll be at Kentucky, and next Saturday, I should be at Clemson.”

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Scott is considered the 15th-best player in the state and the No. 17 offensive guard in the Class of 2018. He holds 27 scholarship offers from Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Louisville, Miami, Michigan State, Pitt, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and a handful of Mid-American Conference programs, among others.

“Right now, I'm just doing what I can to be a positive influence [on my team],” Scott said. “We're trying to go 10-0. I'm working 100 percent on becoming a student of the game.”

FIVE-STAR SALUTE

A pair of Ohio State targets from Texas were honored by the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Thursday morning as part of the American Family Insurance Selection Tour.

Kennedale five-star linebacker Baron Browning and Grand Prairie five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah were both presented with the jersey they'll wear during the Jan. 7, 2017, game in San Antonio, Texas.

“I'm honored,” Browning told 247Sports ($). “I'm glad I chose to represent my country and those who fight. I'm also excited to be a part of it because my family and student body will be able to come and watch me.”

By the time the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Browning plays in the game, he plans to already be enrolled at his school of choice.

The second-best linebacker in the Class of 2017 is set to pick between Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, TCU, Texas, UCLA and USC on Nov. 29, just three days after taking an official visit to Columbus.

There is no timetable for Okudah, meanwhile, despite reports that he has made up his mind on Ohio State. He told USA TODAY Sports that he plans to take all of his official visits before making his decision public.

“There's a little bit of [people rushing to an assumption] because journalists want to get the scoop,” he said. “I know and everyone around me knows the truth, so there's no real problem.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder was in attendance for the Buckeyes' 45-24 win over Oklahoma, and is expected to visit Florida, Ohio State and Texas later this fall.

A MUST-APHA PROSPECT

There are more than two months until Missouri City, Texas, Ridge Point tight end Mustapha Muhammad is set to be on campus for an unofficial visit. But like Okudah, Muhammad got a sneak peek at the Buckeyes when they traveled to Oklahoma this past weekend.

“It was a good atmosphere. Really loud. Ohio State came to play. They dominated,” he told 247Sports. “I talked to them earlier in the week. They were excited I was going to be there.”

The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder is considered the six-best tight end and the No. 101 player overall in the Class of 2018. He has 29 scholarship offers, including those from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M and UCLA.

Muhammed is one of four tight ends from the 2018 recruiting cycle Ohio State has offered thus far, joining Jeremy Ruckert of Lindenhurst, New York; Zack Kuntz of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania; and Leonard Taylor of Springfield.

He told Eleven Warriors earlier this summer that he speaks with Meyer and offensive coordinator Ed Warinner quite frequently, and that's one reason the Buckeyes will make his Top 10 when he trims his list following his junior season.

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