The Hurry Up: Several Ohio State Targets Head to Kentucky This Weekend, Underclassmen Excited for Unofficial Visit and Columbus Running Back Commits to Ohio

By Andrew Lind on November 4, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Christopher Oats
Christopher Oats
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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.

FINDING HIS OWN PATH?

The visitor list for Saturday's prime time tilt with Nebraska features at least a dozen five-star recruits and more than half of the current recruiting class, but there is one somewhat noticeable omission. Instead of joining teammates Jerron Cage and Mi'Quan Grace in Columbus, Winton Woods four-star linebacker Christopher Oats will visit Kentucky.

“I'm not coming this weekend,” Oats told Eleven Warriors.

Is this something to read into? Well, for starters, the Wildcats have made significant strides in Ohio in recent years. In fact, no out-of-state program has signed more Top 100 prospects than Kentucky over the last five recruiting cycles.

With Georgia coming to town for a 7:30 p.m. contest, this marks Kentucky's biggest recruiting weekend of the season — seeing as the only home game left on the schedule is a rough one against Austin Peay in the penultimate weekend of the regular season. That said, the Wildcats will also host several other Ohio State targets, including:

I know, I know — Kentucky offers every prospect in Ohio. But mark my words, the Wildcats will be a significant player for a couple of the aforementioned prospects.

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

Because it's easy to get carried away with the sheer number of stars set to be in Columbus on Saturday, you may have skimmed over some unfamiliar but important names in the process. Indianapolis, Indiana, Lawrence Central three-star linebacker Cameron McGrone may be one of those in particular.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder earned co-most valuable linebacker honors at the Best of the Midwest combine in Indianapolis back in February. You may recall Ohio State defensive lineman once Jonathon Cooper dominated the annual event, which led to his rapid ascension up the recruiting rankings and an offer from the Buckeyes.

McGrone has 52 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks for the Bears this season. He currently holds 10 offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern and Syracuse.

Having not been on campus since he camped at Ohio State two summers ago, McGrone told Eleven Warriors he's excited for the game.

AROUND THE FIRST TURN

On a similar note, Saturday marks the first visit to campus for Louisville, Kentucky, Trinity four-star defensive end Stephen Herron Jr. since Ohio State extended a scholarship offer in August.

“[I'm looking forward to] seeing campus and getting to meet the coaches personally,” Herron told Eleven Warriors. “Also seeing the fan base at a game as big as this one.”

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound sophomore is considered the top-rated player in the Bluegrass State and the No. 15 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He also holds offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee.

Herron leads the unbeaten Shamrocks with 26 tackles and 10.5 tackles for a loss this season.

OU, OH YEAH

If it weren't for an injury that kept him sidelined for nearly all of his sophomore and junior seasons, there's no doubt in my mind Pickerington Central three-star running back Morgan Ellison would hold an offer from Ohio State. But spaces are limited in the Buckeyes' current class, so an offer never materialized despite Ellison rushing for 1,239 yards and 17 touchdowns this year.

The 6-foot, 225-pounder had been receiving a lot of attention from Power 5 programs like Boston College, Indiana and Purdue in recent weeks, but chose to end his recruitment on Friday morning by committing to Ohio.

“I just like them a lot,” Ellison told Eleven Warriors. “Great coaches, 60 minutes from home, great education and a Top 5 sports management [program].”

Considered the No. 988 recruit in the country, Ellison becomes the sixth-highest-rated prospect to verbally pledge to a Mid-American Conference school behind Toledo commit Michael Warren, Central Michigan commit Keegan Cossou, Northern Illinois commit Isaac Hawn, Ball State commit Curtis Blackwell and Eastern Michigan commit Jairus Grissom.

He chose the Bobcats over offers from Ball State, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Youngstown State.

“[I] just was ready to find somewhere,” he said.

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