The Hurry Up: Tony Alford Visits Top-Rated Running Back, Bishop Gorman Quintet Sets Visit Schedule and Ohio State Linebacker Recruits High School Teammate

By Andrew Lind on September 25, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Zamir White
Zamir White
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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.

FLASH POINT

The same day that Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford dropped by his high school, Laurinburg, North Carolina, Scotland County's Zamir White showed exactly why he's considered the top-rated running back in the Class of 2018.

White rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries, leading the undefeated Fighting Scots past Glenn on Friday night.

The 6-foot-1, 209-pounder currently holds 24 offers from schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

He made an unofficial visit to Columbus in June — at which time the Buckeyes were conducting a job fair — and hopes to return for a game this fall.

SHOW ME THE MONEY

With Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell looking on, Pickerington Central running back Morgan Ellison rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-29 overtime loss to Upper Arlington on Friday night.

Though it ended the Tigers' bid for a perfect season, Ellison is showing why he should be considered one of the top running backs in the Class of 2017.

"One of my dream schools was there watching, and I could not be stopped," Ellison told Eleven Warriors. "So [on] the first play, I get like a 32-yard run and I'm like, 'This is all night, man.' I got better from then."

If not for an injury that forced him to miss nearly all of his sophomore and junior years, Ellison would already have a litany of offers. He may even be committed to Ohio State. Instead, the 6-foot, 225-pounder is considered a three-star prospect with offers from Ball State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo and Youngstown State.

Ellison has received a lot of attention from Michigan State in recent months, and schools like Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin have also shown interest. Ellison was in Bloomington on an official visit on Saturday, which he told me he enjoyed.

"[They have] great coaches," he said. "I liked it. I could see myself there."

With J.K. Dobbins already in the fold and the possibility of adding Cam Akers to this scholarship-restricted class, it's unlikely Ohio State offers Ellison unless one falls through. But that just means another Big Ten program will get a steal whenever it decides to pull the trigger.

BISHOP TO KING 7

Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett are set to take their official visits to Ohio State on Oct. 29 when the Buckeyes host Northwestern. It looks as if they'll bring with them one of the Buckeyes' top 2018 targets, Palaie Gaoteote.

“Palaie will be with me on my official visit,” Garrett told 247Sports ($).

Quarterback commit Tate Martell will make the trip one week later, and Garrett expects four-star safety Bubba Bolden to accompany him.

“I think Bubba is going to make his official visit for the Nebraska game,” he said.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Gaoteote is the top-rated linebacker in his recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. He holds 21 offers from programs such as Arizona State, Auburn, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UCLA and USC, but the Buckeyes are considered the leader for his services.

Ohio State is somewhat late on the scene for Bolden, meanwhile, offering him a scholarship just earlier this month.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is considered the fourth-best player in the state of Nevada for the Class of 2017 behind only his aforementioned teammates. A one-time USC commit, Bolden has offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Florida, Louisville, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UCLA.

RAEKWON DA RECRUITER?

With Georgia down 45-7 to Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon, Ohio State linebacker threw a jab at one of his former high school teammates, Richard LeCounte III.

The Riceboro, Georgia, Liberty County five-star safety was considered Ohio State's top defensive back target for the Class of 2017 until he opted to commit to the Bulldogs shortly after Kirby Smart was hired in December.

The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder plans on taking an official visit to Ohio State this fall, but it looks as if the sole purpose of said trip is to see McMillan.

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