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.
ANY SEATS LEFT IN THE QUARTERBACK ROOM?
Ohio State hosted a number of top prospects for unofficial visits this weekend, including Eugune, Oregon, Sheldon four-star quarterback Michael Johnson Jr. He made the cross-country trip with his mother.
“It was great,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors. “The life after football part stood out to me the most.”
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Johnson is considered the top-rated dual-threat quarterback and No. 73 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds offers from Arizona, California, Colorado State, Florida State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Oregon, Texas Tech and West Virginia, and to nobody's surprise, added one from Ohio State when the weekend was over.
Very thankful to have received an offer from The Ohio State University! #GoBuckeyes #tOSU #InGodsHands pic.twitter.com/sI6YgB7cij
— Michael Johnson Jr. (@michaeljr_tka1) March 25, 2017
“It's a great honor [to be] getting an offer from the greatest coach in college football, in my opinion,” Johnson said.
The Buckeyes, as you know, currently hold a commitment from the top-rated dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2018 in Franklin, Georgia, Heard County's Emory Jones. He was at Alabama this weekend, but I must stress the two visits have nothing to do with each other — simply put, Johnson is an elite talent and would only add to the great competition in the quarterback room in the years ahead.
There's certainly a long way to go in Johnson's recruitment, especially with his father recently being named the wide receivers coach at Oregon. It'll also be interesting to see how much effort Ohio State actually puts into it with Jones and Tate Martell in the fold. But seeing as he threw for 2,099 yards and 23 touchdowns and rushed for 775 yards and 12 more scores at The King's Academy in Sunnyvale, California, last season, Johnson more than fits the mold of what Urban Meyer looks for in his quarterbacks.
IMPRESSED BY THE TAPE
Another top prospect to come to Columbus without an offer but leave with one in hand was West Des Moines, Iowa, Dowling Catholic four-star defensive end John Waggoner.
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State! #Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/1ffdaMkF0X
— John Waggoner (@johnwaggs_12) March 25, 2017
“It definitely does [mean a lot],” Waggoner told Eleven Warriors. “I got to sit down with coach [Larry] Johnson and break down my film with him. We met for a while and it sounded like they were going to [offer], but we ended up meeting with coach Meyer after that and he offered.”
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Waggoner is considered the top-rated player in the state and No. 15 weak-side defensive end in the Class of 2018. He holds nine offers from programs such as Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon and UCLA.
Waggoner, who recorded 27 total tackles and eight sacks for the Maroons en route to being named first-team all-state last season, said his parents were equally impressed with campus and the facilities. He doesn't plan to make a decision on his future anytime soon, so expect him to return for another visit this fall.
KEEP THE FLAG FLYING
A number of Detroit, Michigan, Cass Tech alums will playing prominent roles at Ohio State this season, including starting running back Mike Weber and safety Damon Webb. If it's up to defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs, the roster will be filled with Technicians well into the future.
Among them, four-star linebacker DeAndre Square, who took an unofficial visit to Columbus on Friday.
Great day at OSU #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/PFb6h8cTlr
— DeAndre Square (@d_square10) March 25, 2017
“[I] saw campus, all of the facilities and talked with the coaches,” Square told Eleven Warriors, noting he spent a lot of time with Coombs. “He talked about why he recruits kids from Cass Tech. [He said it's] because we work hard and because we win.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Square is considered the 26th-best outside linebacker and No. 313 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He holds 14 offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin, but hopes to add one from Ohio State this summer.
“They want me to come up for camp and see how my senior season goes,” Square said.
BUMP IN THE ROAD
Several of the top sophomores from Loganville, Georgia, Grayson planned to make the eight-hour trip to Ohio State this weekend, including four-star linebacker Owen Pappoe and safety Kenyatta Watson II. The visit never happened, though.
“We couldn't make it,” former Grayson assistant Kenyatta Watson told Eleven Warriors. “My youngest son got sick.”
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Pappoe — the top-rated outside linebacker in the Class of 2019 — already holds an offer from Ohio State, while the 6-foot-2, 177-pound Watson was hoping to land one this weekend. They were last on campus for November's win over Michigan, and are already in the process of planning another visit.
“We will get up rather soon,” the elder Watson said.
POSITION OF NEED
Ohio State has added a junior college prospect in consecutive classes, so it figures the staff is keeping tabs on players like Brooklyn, New York ASA College four-star offensive tackle Badara Traore. And with a lack of depth at the position, the Buckeyes recently offered him a scholarship.
Extremely thankful to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University! #Buckeyes #OSU pic.twitter.com/jav6R7cEUd
— Badara Traore (@BadaraTraore72) March 22, 2017
Though he missed all of last season with a knee injury, the 6-foot-8, 315-pound Traore is considered the second-best offensive tackle and fifth-ranked junior college prospect in the Class of 2018. He holds more than 25 offers from programs such as Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and West Virginia.
Traore was a standout prospect at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Magnino High, but was unable to qualify academically. He decided to sign with Nassau Community College — Ohio State offensive tackle Malcolm Pridgeon played for the Lions, too — but transferred this offseason. He will graduate in December and have three years to play two seasons at his college of choice.
