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.
SOMETHING TOLD ME IT WASN'T RIGHT
Surely your heart skipped a beat this afternoon when Westerville South four-star running back Jaelen Gill announced he would attend UCLA this fall... and then removed his powder blue T-shirt and committed to Ohio State. You weren't the only one, either:
Man @jaelengill21 just scared me Welcome to the fam
— Emory Jones (@eXjones6) March 1, 2017
"It was part of the show," Gill said after the ceremony. "UCLA is my second decision if I wasn't going to Ohio State. I had a lot of friends in the video that didn't know I was going to Ohio State. They thought I was going to UCLA the whole time.
"The thought of leaving is very attractive, especially when you're going to a place like L.A. When you go and visit, you see how nice it is," Gill continued. "It's kind of hard not to do something like that. But in the end, you have to look at the bigger picture and kind of make a grown man decision and grow up a little bit and understand what the responsibilities are."
Though he gave each school an honest shot, Gill never truly wanted to play anywhere else. In the process, he fulfilled a promise he made to his late grandfather.
“I made the decision probably about a month ago,” Gill said. “We need a little momentum with recruits, so me committing will help get some other recruits.”
Though he just committed, Gill and five-star safety commit Jaiden Woodbey have been recruiting for the Buckeyes for several months now.
“I'm already trying to flip people,” he said.
Gill won't graduate early because he's a terrific baseball player and wants to complete his senior season — he may even play for the Buckeyes in college. But fans shouldn't worry about him changing his mind in the meantime.
“I'm 100 percent committed to Ohio State and I don't see myself taking any official visits,” he said.
Gill joins the aforementioned Woodbey, five-star quarterback Emory Jones and four-star running back Brian Snead in Ohio State's Supreme '18 recruiting class. With him in the fold, the Buckeyes moved up to No. 9 in the 247Sports Team Rankings and have the highest per-recruit average of any school in the country.
NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED IN TEXAS
Ohio State offered a scholarship on Wednesday afternoon to Conroe, Texas, Oak Ridge three-star defensive end Joseph Ossai.
Congrats to @joseph_ossai 2018 DE ( Conroe Oak Ridge) on his latest offer from The Ohio State University! #horseshoe pic.twitter.com/6tTyMPkROm
— Kevin Deon Goodwin (@goodwin_kevin14) March 1, 2017
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Ossai is considered the 19th-best defensive end and No. 364 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
Ossai recorded 46 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries for the War Eagles last season.
BACK ON THE MARKET
Just a few days after receiving an offer from Alabama while on an unofficial visit, Dayton Dunbar four-star wide receiver Joseph "JoJo" Scates decommitted from Michigan State on Tuesday night.
Thanks to all the MSU fans for the love shown ...... but I've decided to open my recruitment back up.... pic.twitter.com/i2iaNNuxo7
— #6...... (@ScatesJoseph) February 28, 2017
The move doesn't come as a total surprise, as Scates' recruitment is starting to take off and the Spartans reportedly have a strict no-visit policy for commits. He said his decision has nothing to do with Alabama's offer, though.
"He had like three schools text him already," Scates' teammate, three-star running back Tavion Thomas, told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Scates is considered the fifth-best player in Ohio and No. 128 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He doesn't have an offer from Ohio State, though, which is why most believe he picked Michigan State in the first place last fall.
"Ohio State's going to offer, for real. I already know," Thomas said. "He's really a great player, great athlete and he's good in school. I'm just happy for him."
It's unlikely the Buckeyes offer just because the Crimson Tide have, but Scates' recruitment is certainly one to pay attention to moving forward. He will camp in Columbus this summer and another standout season would likely put him in the conversation.
IT'S AN HONOR
Ohio State defensive tackle Jerron Cage was named the winner of the Anthony Muñoz Foundation Division II Defensive Lineman of the Year during the National Football Foundation's Scholar Athlete Banquet in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday night.
Winton Woods DL Jerron Cage (#OhioState) named @MunozFoundation Defensive Lineman of the Year pic.twitter.com/4Dtdjchk9j
— Mike Dyer (@MikeDyer) March 1, 2017
"It shows what a blessing it is to not only play football, but to impact lives with my skills and talent," Cage told Eleven Warriors.
The four-star prospect from Cincinnati Winton Woods, Cage recorded 81 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during his senior season.
According to its mission statement, the Anthony Muñoz Foundation reaches out to and empowers youth who are struggling, while educating, promoting, recognizing and rewarding those who excel in all phases of life.
Ohio State targets Jackson Carman and Malik Vann, both of Fairfield, were named the Division I offensive and defensive lineman of the year, as well.
