The Hurry Up: Top Prospects Show Out at The Opening Cleveland Regional and Five-Star Linebacker Talks Unofficial Visit

By Andrew Lind on April 9, 2017 at 7:15 pm
The Opening
Tyreke Smith, Jackson Carman and Jaelen Gill
51 Comments

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.

GOT OPEN

More than 300 of the top players in the Midwest converged upon the Cleveland Browns practice facility in Berea on Sunday for the ninth leg of Nike Football's The Opening Regional tour.

Several Ohio State targets were in action, with three punching their tickets to The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Oregon, in late June or early July.

It was clear from the beginning of the event that they were three of the premier athletes at the event. Jackson Carman and Tyreke Smith, two of the top-rated players in the state, enjoyed a clash of the titans — if you will — during one-on-one matchups.

Carman admitted afterward Smith got the best of him one one of the drills, but was clear to see why they're among the best players in the country at their respective positions.

Jaelen Gill, meanwhile, looked completely healed from a fractured fibula suffered in the second game of his junior season. He showed no issues cutting and accelerated through most drills with ease. 

Toledo St. John four-star linebacker Dallas Gant, meanwhile, was in his first camp action since narrowing down his list to five. While he wasn't named the most valuable linebacker at the event — an honor that belongs to St. Francis De Sales' Brian Asamoah — Gant's attention to detail and his technique stands out.

Dayton Dunbar's Tavion Thomas also made his presence felt on Sunday. He's still raw, seeing as he's only played one year at running back after moving over from defensive end, but he's every bit as big and strong as advertised. It'll be interesting to see how he develops over the next year.

There's also still a chance Gant, Thomas and others get invited to the finals as an at-large in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

IN GOOD STANDING

Ohio State hosted a number of top prospects for an unofficial visit this weekend, but none bigger than Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bishop Sullivan five-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell.

"It was great. Seen everything I wanted to see  [and it was] everything I expected to be," Mitchell told Eleven Warriors, noting how much he enjoyed Student Appreciation Day. "The fan base is definitely supportive of the team and coach [Urban] Meyer does a great job of keeping them involved."

Some, including myself, thought the 6-foot-2, 232-pound Mitchell was on commitment watch this weekend. But seeing as he has more than three dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Penn State, USC and Virginia Tech, Mitchell just wants to enjoy the recruiting process.

He plans to visit Clemson, Florida State and LSU before making a decision but admitted it could come at any time.

"I had planned to commit in November- December and I might just stick with that," he said.

As for what will be the deciding factor?

"I want to be able to go to a school that can fully develop me into a first round draft pick and that has a great business program," Mitchell said. "And I like to win, so I want a national championship contender."

EARLY LEADERS

Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy four-star running back Noah Cain was also on campus on Saturday. It was his first visit since the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship last month.

"I had a great visit," Cain told Eleven Warriors. “I loved coach Meyer and [Tony] Alford. We watched my film together and he had me draw some plays up on the board I talked to him for like two hours straight."

The 5-foot-11, 207-pound Cain is considered the top-rated running back and No. 5 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds nearly 20 offers from programs such as Georgia, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UCLA, but Ohio State is among his early leaders.

"They will definitely be in my Top 10," Cain said. "The competitive atmosphere and the school was great."

Cain was named a MaxPreps All-American after he rushed for 1,683 yards and 22 touchdowns for Denton, Texas, Guyer last season. He transferred to IMG in January, and will now look to help the Ascenders to their third-consecutive undefeated season.

51 Comments

Ohio State Blows Out Indiana, 38-15, for Second Top-Five Win of Season

Josh Fryar

With Ohio State’s Win Over Indiana, It’s Officially “That Team Up North” Week

TreVeyon Henderson TD vs. Michigan
View 51 Comments