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.
NOT UNTIL THEY SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE
Late Thursday evening, four-star offensive tackle Jake Moretti decommited from Ohio State and flipped to Colorado. It certainly wasn't an easy decision for the 6-foot-5, 285-pounder, but one that allows him to remain close to home and enroll early in Boulder.
Moretti wanted to do the same thing in Columbus, but it made little sense for him to do so while he continues to rehab his surgically repaired knee. He more than likely won't be ready in time to participate in the spring, so there was no reason for the Buckeyes to use an early-enrollee spot on him.
That said, Colorado is a program on the rise under coach fourth-year head coach Mike MacIntyre. The 10th-ranked Buffaloes are 8-2 and control their own destiny in the PAC 12.
With Moretti in the fold, Colorado now holds the 19th-best recruiting class in the country — up from No. 67 nationally last cycle.
WHERE TO NOW?
Ohio State would ideally like to bring in a third offensive lineman to fill Moretti's vacant spot, so two tackles to pay attention to moving forward are Jackson, Tennessee, University School five-star Trey Smith and Massillon Washington four-star Thayer Munford.
Smith, the only one with an offer at the moment, is expected to take an official visit for the Nov. 26 game against Michigan. The 6-foot-6, 299-pounder included Ohio State in his Top 6 in July alongside Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Tennessee.
Smith has seen the Crimson Tide and Volunteers three times apiece this season, making the chances Ohio State pulls him out of the SEC very slim.
I believe Munford, meanwhile, would be a candidate to commit the moment an offer were extended.
The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder has been on Ohio State's radar since early 2015, but the Buckeyes locked down Moretti and five-star Josh Myers shortly thereafter and both parties seemingly moved on.
While Pittsburgh has long been considered the favorite to land the mammoth offensive tackle, schools like Iowa State, Kentucky and Michigan State have shown significant interest.
One thing that's stopped Munford from getting more attention this year is he nearly missed all of his senior season after transferring from Cincinnati La Salle — Massillon coach Nate Moore, who was previously at La Salle, assumed legal guardianship of Munford, and Ohio High School Athletic Association bylaws state a coach cannot have any contact with a student-athlete at his former school.
After a lengthy appeals process, Munford was declared eligible and played in four games for the Tigers this season.
ANY OTHER OPTIONS?
Of course, the Buckeyes could instead opt to use that spot on the best player available regardless of position.
I only foresee the staff taking about 22 recruits this cycle, and bringing in five-star cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, five-star linebacker Baron Browning, four-star defensive tackle Jay Tufele, four-star safety Bubba Bolden and four-star wide receiver Jaylen Harris puts them at 21.
However unlikely each may seem, Ohio State certainly wouldn't say no to five-star running back Cam Akers, five-star wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones or four-star linebacker Anthony Hines III, either.
Simply put, there's no need to offer Munford and lock up another spot just yet because he's in no hurry to commit elsewhere, and the possibility of landing one of the aforementioned targets is why the staff will likely let things figure themselves out over the next few weeks.
