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.
ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Ohio State quarterback commit Emory Jones announced on Twitter late Tuesday night he has been invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, in January 2018.
Blessed to get my official invite to the U.S. Army All-American Game pic.twitter.com/6p4JD8ZCKW
— Emory Jones (@eXjones6) October 26, 2016
Jones, the top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2018, pledged his services to the Buckeyes in late July over programs such as Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
“[Things are] pretty exciting these days,” Heard County Recruiting Coordinator Chuck Sykes told Eleven Warriors. “All of this is new to the school, so everyone is enjoying the process.”
The invitation is not the only good news surrounding the 6-foot-2, 193-pounder either, as Jones just participated in his first practice since he suffered a low-grade AC separation in a loss two weeks ago.
“Emory took a few snaps in practice yesterday, but we have been repping [sophomore quarterback] Alijah [Huzzie],” Sykes said. “Em will line up at wide receiver, which we planned on doing [during the game in which he was injured] against Callaway. Hopefully we can secure this region win and have him back [at quarterback] for our last game.”
Jones told Eleven Warriors he expects to begin throwing "probably next week."
Huzzie, meanwhile, accounted for three touchdowns in leading Heard County to a 41-20 win over Jordan last weekend.
“He played well,” Sykes said. “Great kid with a lot of potential.”
FORK IN THE ROAD
Heard County running back DayVin Troy has been good friends with Jones for most of his life, and said it's no surprise the five-star quarterback continues to excel at the position.
“It's a great thing to see him live his dream,” Troy told Eleven Warriors. “Ever since we were little, we dreamed of going to college to play ball.”
Troy — the son of the aforementioned coach Sykes — has taken on a larger role within the Braves' offense while Jones has been sidelined, scoring two touchdowns in a Homecoming win over Jordan last weekend.
“It was tough [to see him go down], but we knew as a team we had to do our job,” he said. “Our second-string quarterback didn't do bad at all, and he's only a sophomore. We know we can count on him to get the job done while Emory is healing.”
A 5-foot-7, 160-pound senior, Troy hasn't garnered a lot of attention from from big-time programs because of his small stature. But he does have a number of offers from FCS and Division II schools.
“I just recently got an offer from Thomas More College [in Crestview Hills, Kentucky],” Troy said.
CARMAN, ALABAMA, DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RING TO IT
Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman was one of more than 50 highly rated recruits at Alabama's game against Texas A&M this past weekend.
Last Saturday at Alabama! Amazing visit ! #RollTide pic.twitter.com/yn4oMrA1Cj
— Jackson Carman (@Jackson_Carman) October 25, 2016
“The game atmosphere was incredible,” Carman told Eleven Warriors. “It seemed like the closer we got to Tuscaloosa, the more Bama propaganda I saw. It was everywhere.”
The 6-foot-6, 290-pounder is considered the top-rated player in the state of Ohio and the third-best offensive tackle in the Class of 2018. He currently holds more than 30 scholarship offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, USC and Wisconsin.
Carman camped with Ohio State this summer and was in attendance for the Buckeyes' win over Rutgers earlier this month. He also took a trip to Notre Dame earlier this fall, but already has his sights set on a return trip to Tuscaoosa
“[They're in my] Top 5,” he said.
KING TUTT
Thomason, Georgia, four-star cornerback Christian Tutt narrowed down his list of more than 30 scholarship offers down to 11 in late August, including Ohio State alongside Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder is considered the 15th-best cornerback and the No. 106 player overall in the Class of 2018. He was set to take an unofficial visit for the Nov. 5 game against Nebraska, but told Eleven Warriors those plans have changed.
"Looking at the Michigan game," he said.
Tutt will honor his older brother, Chris, a former Thomson football star who killed in a single car accident in June, by announcing his college decision on his birthday, May 30.
