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.
HE GETS IT
Missouri City, Texas, Ridge Point four-star tight end Mustapha Muhammad has set up an unofficial visit to Ohio State, he told Eleven Warriors on Tuesday. It'll be his first time on campus.
“[I'll be there for] That Team Up North game,” Muhammad said, referring to the Nov. 26 matchup with Michigan. “I can't wait to experience the heated rivalry in Columbus.”
The 6-foot-4, 213-pounder is considered the fourth-best tight end and the No. 94 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He currently holds more than two dozen scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
Muhammad was in the stands for Ohio State's 45-24 win over Oklahoma last month, after which he said the Buckeyes would undoubtedly be in his Top 10 schools when he makes the list public following his junior season.
“[I was most impressed with] how very talented their athletes are,” he said. “I'm very impressed with how well they are disciplined and coached.”
Muhammad is one of four tight ends from his recruiting cycle Ohio State has offered thus far, joining Lindenhurst, New York's, Jeremy Ruckert; Camp Hill, Pennsylvania's, Zack Kuntz; and Springfield's Leonard Taylor, but said he maintains constant contact with the Buckeyes' staff.
PULL THAT PEACH STATE PROSPECT
We previously reported that Saint Simons Island, Georgia, Frederica Academy teammates Jashawn Sheffield and Jaylin Simpson will take an unofficial visit to Ohio State for the Nov. 5 game against Nebraska.
Buckeyes showing love pic.twitter.com/ot2SRh7sYm
— Jashawn Sheffield (@Jashawnsheff) October 25, 2016
“I can't wait to check things out,” Sheffield told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Sheffield is considered the top-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2019. He currently holds 17 offers from programs such as Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, North Carolina, Ohio State and Tennessee, but said the Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Gators and Volunteers continue to show the most interest.
Simpson, meanwhile, is a 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore corner not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites. That said, he leads the 8-1 Knights in receptions, yardage, touchdowns and is tied for the team lead in interceptions.
Ohio State was the first school to offer Simpson back in August, but Florida, LSU, Miami, North Carolina and Tennessee have all followed suit in the past month.
Tied atop the defensive stat sheet with Simpson with four interceptions apiece is fellow sophomore Patrick Brunson, who will also be in attendance.
“[It's] my first college visit,” Brunson told Eleven Warriors. “The recruiting process is just really getting started for me with everyone seeing Jashawn and Jaylin.”
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Brunson, who plays both running back and safety, does not have a recruiting profile and has yet to lock down his first college offer, but is excited for the trip nonetheless.
“I just hope to see how things are from a recruit's point of view,” he said. “I've been to a lot of college games, but none as a recruit.”
IN HOT WATER
The Ohio High School Athletic Association has placed the Dublin Coffman football program on probation through June 2018 after an internal investigation conducted last spring found head coach Mark Crabtree met with an eighth-grade student-athlete and his father in an attempt to have the student enroll at the school.
BREAKING: #OHSAA announces Dublin Coffman football put on probation through June 2018. Coach Mark Crabtree suspended first 2 playoff games
— Jerod Smalley (@JerodNBC4) October 25, 2016
“There is protocol in place that our coaches are to follow when they are contacted by a student or a family member when the student is not enrolled at the coach's school,” OHSAA Interim Commissioner Dave Gray said in a press release. “Not adhering to those guidelines is a clear violation of the recruiting bylaw [OHSAA Bylaw 4-9], and our staff issued its ruling based on information submitted by Coffman administrators.”
Crabtree will be suspended for two state playoff games should the Shamrocks qualify and advance. He is also allowed only seven days of contact with the team during the 2017 summer coaching period.
Dublin Coffman self-reported the violations in June, and the student never enrolled at the school.
Additionally, the OHSAA announced that Cleveland Glenville violated Bylaw 3-1-2 when it did not respond to requests for information with regard to a transfer whose paperwork was falsified. The student-athlete sat out the first five games of the season, but played in two games when he was not permitted to participate in any this season.
The OHSAA initially ruled Glenville must forfiet the two contests, but upon appeal decided the student-athlete will be ineligible for the remainder of the school year, fined the school $2,000 and placed the program on probation through June 2018.
