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.
SHOULDN'T BE MUCH LONGER
Even though Ohio State hasn't offered him a scholarship yet, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman three-star running back Master Teague included the Buckeyes in his Top 12 last month.
It's not something that typically happens without a prospect believing he's close to an offer, though, so Saturday's highly anticipated trip to Columbus with his family and teammate, four-star wide receiver Trey Knox, would have been the perfect opportunity for that to happen. It did not, but that didn't stop Teague from having a great time with running backs coach Tony Alford.
Thank you @OSUCoachMeyer and @CoachTonyAlford for a great visit this weekend! #THEOhioState pic.twitter.com/YtD2pd2JHP
— Master W. Teague III (@33_blackman) April 1, 2017
“I got to sit in on his running backs meetings twice, I got to watch him coach and he sat down with me to watch some of my film from last season so he could teach me a few things about reading defenses,” Teague told Eleven Warriors.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Teague is considered the 28th-best running back and No. 454 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, having rushed for 2,031 yards and 24 touchdowns to help the Blaze to the state quarterfinals last season. He has more than 20 offers from programs such as Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, but remains patient when it comes to Ohio State.
He has to, seeing as the Buckeyes already hold commitments from two running backs and only look to add one more this cycle. But that certainly doesn't mean the staff isn't interested.
“Coach [Urban] Meyer and coach Alford want to see how I move in person, so coach Alford will be coming to watch me twice during my spring practice [from April 24 through May 12],” Teague said.
If Teague is as impressive in person as he is on tape, he'll earn his offer then.
WHY NOT BOTH?
Ohio State may find it difficult to replicate the success it had in Texas during the 2017 recruiting cycle when it signed three of the state's top six players, but the staff continues to recruit the Lone Star State hard, nonetheless.
Five of the Top 10 players in the state have already included the Buckeyes among their top schools, and a sixth — Houston Lamar four-star wide receiver Al'vonte Woodard — followed suit on Tuesday night. He also listed Baylor, Clemson, Indiana, LSU, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and West Virginia.
I will end my recruiting process and focus on these 10 schools pic.twitter.com/kqOCuAPtC7
— A.Woodard (@Vonte_4) April 4, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Woodard is considered the 14th-best wideout and No. 76 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, having hauled in 42 passes for 909 yards and 15 touchdowns to help the Texans to the third round of the state playoffs last season. He is the teammate of five-star cornerback target Anthony Cook, a presumed Ohio State lean, who is expected to attend the Spring Game next weekend.
We'll just have to see if Woodard tags along.
SAVAGES WANT TO PLAY WITH SAVAGES
Not only is Saturday Student Appreciation Day at Ohio State, but it's shaping up to be another big recruiting weekend, too. Among those expected to be in attendance, Louisville, Kentucky, Trinity four-star defensive end Stephen Herron Jr.
“I'll be going up Friday. My visit is Saturday,” Herron told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Herron, the second-best weak-side defensive end and the No. 15 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, racked up 38 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and four sacks to help the Shamrocks to the state championship last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Louisville, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee.
Herron has been to campus once before and had a front-row seat to Ohio State's 62-3 shellacking of Nebraska last season. This time, with no game day distractions, he wants to see the academic side of the university.
"I want to major in business and law," Herron said.
WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
Georgetown, Kentucky, Scott County four-star offensive tackle Bryan Hudson was already set to visit Ohio State in the coming week, but now he'll do so with an offer in hand.
It's amazing how great god is. I'm so blessed to have received an offer from The Ohio State University!!! pic.twitter.com/yztZHJwtzb
— Bryan Hudson (@HudsonBryan) April 4, 2017
The 6-foot-5, 292-pound Hudson is considered the 11th-best offense tackle and No. 91 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Rutgers, but previously said Ohio State was one of his favorite schools growing up.
Hudson was on campus for last season's win over Tulsa, but he too understands a spring visit means more one-on-one time than a game.
"I am really excited to see another practice and just get a chance to talk to the coaches again," he told Eleven Warriors. "Also to see the facilities again and get to know how they coach.”
