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.
GETTING CLOSER
IMG Academy four-star wide receiver Joshua Moore narrowed down his list of nearly 60 scholarship offers to 10 on Tuesday night, and — as expected — included Ohio State alongside Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
From 58 to 10.. #GodIsLove pic.twitter.com/8GYIffZ7QG
— JoshuaMoore (@_TheJoshuaMoore) March 14, 2017
“Relationships and academic and athletic success,” Moore told Eleven Warriors when asked what stands out about each of the finalists.
The 6-foot-1, 156-pound Moore is considered the 15th-best wideout and No. 83 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He had 27 receptions for 527 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 324 yards and four scores to help Yoakum, Texas, to the state title game last season, but transferred to IMG in early February.
His twin, Jordan, will remain at Yoakum for his senior year, however. He is a four-star safety committed to Texas A&M, but also holds an offer from the Buckeyes.
Moore talks with head coach Urban Meyer and wide receivers coach Zach Smith regularly, and has repeatedly insisted he'll take an official visit to Ohio State this fall. If that happens, the Buckeyes are a real player for his services.
TAKE OFF
For as little production as Ohio State gets from its receivers, the Buckeyes have no shortage of interested prospects. That includes Wayne, New Jersey, DePaul Catholic's "Rocket" Ronnie Hickman, who told Eleven Warriors he'll take an unofficial visit to Ohio State for the Spring Game.
“I'm really just looking forward to meeting some great people, eating good food and watching good football,” he said.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hickman is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but will undoubtedly be one of the top prospects in the Class of 2019. He already holds offers from Boston College, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Rutgers and Wisconsin.
Hickman hauled in 42 catches for 660 yards and four touchdowns to help the Spartans to the state championship game last season. He also recorded 48 tackles and two interceptions as a safety.
Though he comes from the same high school as running back Kareem Walker, a one-time Ohio State commit who later flipped his pledge to Michigan, Hickman said an offer from the Buckeyes would be “a dream come true.”
CALLING OUT
Ohio State has offered a scholarship to 27 players from Georgia, but one Peach State prospect still waiting to hear from the Buckeyes is Lithonia Martin Luther King Jr. Junior athlete Antonio Fletcher.
"I just love the way the program works," Fletcher told Eleven Warriors. "Even if you don't go to the league, they still get you good job. Plus, they always have the most people go to the league."
The 6-foot, 180-pound Fletcher plays for a school that went 2-7 last season and is set to hire its sixth coach in nine years, so his recruitment has certainly been hurt by the team's on-field play.
"I led the team in tackles, and I'm a safety," he said. "[I'm a] playmaker, ballplayer and hard worker. I make plays from sideline to sideline, and I'm in every play."
Fletcher just earned his first offer on Monday from Arkansas State, but has also garnered interest from schools such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia State, LSU and Michigan. An offer from Ohio State would mean everything to Fletcher, though.
“I might just commit off the bat,” he said.
DREAM OFFER
Another hard-hitting safety who'd like to hear from the staff is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Central Catholic's Corey Thomas Jr.
“I always liked Ohio State with all the talent they're putting in the NFL,” Thomas Jr. told Eleven Warriors. “Malik Hooker is someone I really like and try to model my game after. Ohio State just seems like the whole package to me.”
A 6-foot-2, 170-pound sophomore, Thomas Jr. holds an offer from Buffalo and garnered interest from schools like Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and West Virginia. He recorded 33 tackles last season for the Vikings, who lost to St. Joseph's Prep in the state championship game.
"It hurt a lot, but it definitely gave us a chip on our shoulder," Thomas said."
