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.
SLIPPING AWAY?
Iowa City, Iowa, West Senior four-star wide receiver Oliver Martin was set to take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend, but sources close to the program tell Eleven Warriors Martin was forced to cancel his trip amid unspecified flight issues. And now with just over one week until signing day, it's unclear whether he'll make a trip to Columbus at all.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Martin is expected to take an official visit to Michigan next weekend, so the staff will obviously try to convince him to change his plans. The Buckeyes have no chance to land the 28th-best wideout in the Class of 2017 otherwise.
It will certainly be difficult, too, as Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and linebackers coach Chris Partridge are expected to visit Martin sometime this week, while Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer already used his in-home.
Martin and his family are very reserved and don't talk with the media very often, so it's entirely possible we won't know his plans until he steps on a campus next weekend. If the plane does actually take off and land in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines — in my eyes — instantly become the favorite.
A DREAM COME TRUE
Wyoming, Ohio, wide receiver Garyn Prater announced on Twitter Saturday morning he has accepted a walk-on offer at Ohio State.
Blessed!!! pic.twitter.com/oj6ai8HZai
— Garyn Prater (@GarynPrater) January 21, 2017
“It's been a dream of mine to play there since I was little,” Prater told Eleven Warriors. “It's just too great of an opportunity [to pass up].”
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Prater was committed to Fordham. He caught 54 passes for 1,093 yards and 16 touchdowns during his senior season.
MAY BE NO NEED FOR ANOTHER RUNNING BACK THIS CYCLE
According to the Indianapolis Star, Notre Dame running back and wide receiver Justin Brent is considering a transfer to Ohio State, among other schools.
Former Speedway standout Justin Brent to transfer from #NotreDame, reportedly interested in #iufb, #Purdue & others: https://t.co/JXDzAsZJAF
— Matt Glenesk (@MattGlenesk) January 21, 2017
A four-star recruit coming out of Speedway, Indiana, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Brent had a fairly unremarkable career in South Bend. He played in nine games, but failed to record a single statistic in three seasons with the Fighting Irish.
Brent plans to graduate from Notre Dame this summer and then transfer to another program. If he does graduate, he would be able to play immediately and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford helped recruit Brent to South Bend while he was in the same position with Notre Dame. And if the Buckeyes ultimately don't land another running back this recruiting cycle, Brent will certainly become a target this summer.
