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.
JUST TAKE I-75 NORTH
Ellenwood, Georgia, Cedar Grove wide receiver Jadon Haselwood announced on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that he received a scholarship offer from Ohio State.
Blessed and Glad to receive an offer from the University of Ohio state #Gobuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ZubLs7s1qu
— G.O.A.T (@Bcg_jadon) October 4, 2016
“It means a lot,” Haselwood told Eleven Warriors. “They are definitely in my Top 5.”
The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is considered the second-best wide receiver and the No. 10 overall prospect in the Class of 2019.
“I would like to say that I'm a player to run actual routes and screens instead of running a Hail Mary.” he said. “I like to get yards after a catch.”
Haselwood has 15 scholarship offers from programs such as Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Michigan and West Virginia. He was on campus for Saturday's game against Rutgers.
“I had a great with with Emory [Jones] and Brenton [Cox] down there,” Haselwood said. “The fans and the players treated me like family, and [I'm] most definitely trying to get up there as much as possible because I love it up there.”
It's no secret that Jones has been recruiting fellow prospects from the Peach State to join him at Ohio State, Haselwood included.
“You already know I talked to him today after they offered,” he said.
NO BETTER TIME
Following Ohio State's 45-24 thrashing of Oklahoma last month, Bellaire, Texas, Episcopal's Marvin Wilson said he would “definitely” make it to Columbus this fall. Surely enough, he decided on coming to campus for the Buckeyes' biggest game of the season.
“When they play Michigan in November,” Wilson told 247Sports.
The 6-foot-4, 329-pounder is considered the top-rated defensive tackle in the country in the Class of 2017. He's missed time this season with a torn meniscus, but currently holds more than 25 offers from schools such as Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and USC.
Ohio State already has one of the top defensive line hauls for this year's cycle with Cincinnati Winton Woods' Jerron Cage and Las Vegas, Nevada, Bishop Gorman's Haskell Garrett already in the fold, but the Buckeyes are actively looking to add another tackle. Wilson said he and defensive line coach Larry Johnson talk “almost every day.”
HOW MANY DEGREES OF SEPARATION?
It is presumed that South Jordan, Utah, Bingham's defensive tackle Jay Tufele will be the one that lands in Columbus, not Wilson.
The 6-foot-3, 297-pounder listed Ohio State alongside BYU, Michigan, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington when he narrowed down his list of 21 scholarship offers to seven schools late last month.
Though he's considered the top-rated prospect in the Beehive State, Tufele's recruitment hasn't garnered much attention. It's set to take off, though, as he'll take his first official visit when Michigan hosts Illinois on Oct. 22.
Its official I will be taking my first official visit too Anna Arbor Michigan 10/22/16 for the Illinois game! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/uGl64Xocl9
— Jay Tufele (@tufele123) October 3, 2016
It's a matter of when, not if, Ohio State will get an official visit at this time, and it should be noted the Buckeyes have three home games following the aforementioned date. Tufele plans on announcing his college decision at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7.
Tufele has unfortunately been unable to play for Bingham this season after suffering ligament damage to his foot at Nike's The Opening in July. It is not considered season-ending, but the Miners' coaching staff is taking extra precaution in bringing him back so he's fully healed and able to play as a true freshman.
Also, can anyone tell me how Michigan's Polynesian connection includes NFL defensive tackle Haloti Ngata? Greg Mattison's time as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator is a bit of a stretch.
PULL THAT PEACH
Marietta, Georgia, five-star cornerback Derrik Allen said earlier this summer that Ohio State and Georgia were the two programs recruiting him the hardest. And quite frankly, it's difficult to show any more attention to a prospect than what the Buckeyes are.
Urban Meyer could be poised to pull another 5-star from the state of Georgia: https://t.co/kdku1i9jcw pic.twitter.com/W672EGNKHH
— Jeff Sentell (@jeffsentell) October 4, 2016
“Coach [Urban] Meyer texts me every day,” Allen told Dawg Nation. “He just wants to know what is up and how I am doing … Coach Butch Jones [at Tennessee] used to. He was the only other head coach who did that.
“Coach Meyer and I talk about grades and my degree a lot,” he continued. “He also tries to help me with keeping my focus and my mindset where it should be right now … in high school, playing football.”
Allen's father, Derrik Sr., added, “They are recruiting him better than anybody else. They call him weekly and go through the film. They talk about what they see and what they think he can do to get better. They reach out to my wife and I and send stuff about the school. They know he wants to study computer science, so they send him stuff about the program.
“They are just very consistent,” he continued. “Derrik talks to Urban weekly. That's about a 5- to 10-minute conversation they have weekly. No other head coach is recruiting him like that.”
The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Allen is considered the second-best corner and the No. 18 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds more than 30 offers from schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee, but his close friend and teammate Tyriq Hardimon is sure Ohio State is the team to beat.
“Ohio State just fits him,” Hardimon said.
Allen is set to make an unofficial visit to Columbus when the Buckeyes host Nebraska on Nov. 5.
