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.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF JERMAINE ESKRIDGE
In yesterday's edition of The Hurry Up, I mentioned how Tampa, Florida, Jefferson three-star athlete Jermaine Eskridge announced he would attend Ohio State's Spring Game on Saturday, the same day he plans to make his college decision.
Things got a little bit more interesting on Tuesday afternoon, when Eskridge narrowed down his more than 50 scholarship offers to Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State.
Top 3 schools it's down to is Ohio state, Penn state, and Oregon
— EJ1 (@Iam_Jermaine4) April 11, 2017
If you're unaware of how we got this point, I offer a brief recap:
Though he'd never been on campus, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Eskridge included Ohio State in his Top 3 alongside Alabama and Miami (FL) last summer. He then added Florida and Oregon back into the mix the following day at his mother's insistence.
Eskridge, a one-time Kentucky commit, was scheduled to take an unofficial visit to Columbus one week later, but called off the trip at the last minute and instead pledged his services to South Florida out of the blue.
A month went by before Eskridge reopened his recruitment, claiming he made an emotional decision based on the fact that several other local recruits pledged their services to the Bulls that week.
So here we are.
Eskridge said he'll be on campus on Saturday, which would certainly make a rather interesting backdrop for a commitment to another school. But quite frankly, I won't believe he'll make the trip until I see him walk out of the tunnel with the other recruits on Saturday.
Ohio State remains among the favorites for several higher-rated wideouts who are also better fits within the offensive scheme, so Eskridge probably isn't a take at this moment in time — which leaves Oregon and Penn State.
I made 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction this afternoon in favor of the Ducks, and for two reasons: 1. Eskridge already committed to Oregon head coach Willie Taggart when he was at South Florida, and 2. His good friend Bruce Judson, a former Ohio State commit, signed with the Ducks in February.
Any other result doesn't make much sense.
KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ASSUME
Much like Jackson Carman, most people assume Cleveland Heights four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith will end up at Ohio State because he's one of the top-rated prospects in the state -- never mind the fact he grew up in Southern California. But not so fast, my friends.
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Smith talked about his recruitment during Nike Football's The Opening Cleveland Regional on Sunday, at which time he said Notre Dame, Ohio State and Penn State are all on even footing.
"They definitely hit me up the most," Smith told Eleven Warriors. "They show so much love to me, so it would be hard to go away from [those schools].”
Smith dominated at the event even though he's only played one year of high school football, getting the best of the aforementioned Carman in one-on-one drills and earning an invitation to The Opening Finals in Oregon this summer.
He's gotten extremely familiar with the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions over the past year and plans to attend both programs' spring games in the next two weeks.
“The relationship I have with coach [Larry] Johnson and coach [Urban] Meyer [stand out about Ohio State]. He's a great coach and a great person. We have a good relationship. That's my guy," Smith said. "Their relationships [at Penn State], too. Me and the defensive line coach, coach [Sean] Spencer, we have a great relationship. They offered me before I even started [playing], so I know they believed in me from the start. That means a lot to me.”
Smith plans to officially unveil his top schools in May, take all five official visits and then decide on his future later this fall.
“I'm just going to take my time,” Smith said.
WHY NOT COMMIT ON THE SPOT?
When Ohio State offered a scholarship to Butler, Pennsylvania, three-star offensive guard Jake Kradel last week, he told Eleven Warriors Ohio State was his top school. So with an unofficial visit under his belt, why not commit on the spot?
“[I] just want to get to know everyone a little better and see a little more of what I haven't seen so far,” Kradel said during Sunday's Cleveland Regional. “I want to explore and make sure it was the right fit before I commit to anywhere. I don't want to just pull the trigger and not see other things.”
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Kradel said the staff likes his size and leverage, and that he would likely play center for the Buckeyes.
"My technique is pretty good, and I definitely have a lot of areas I can fix, but my leverage is a big thing," he said.
Some other schools that stand out to Kradel, the 41st-best offensive guard and No. 897 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, are Pittsburgh and Maryland, who wants to play him at defensive tackle. He thinks he's better on the offensive line, though.
Kradel will also attend Ohio State's Spring Game on Saturday.
DOWN TO FOUR
Seemingly lost among Sunday's festivities was Hillsborough, North Carolina, Orange four-star linebacker Payton Wilson narrowed his recruitment down to Clemson, North Carolina, Ohio State and Virginia Tech.
Top 4 pic.twitter.com/SnzBx3GJfV
— Payton Wilson (@payton_wilson21) April 10, 2017
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Wilson plans to make his college decision on May 1, but there's a chance he'll push it back following his recent trip to Columbus. That's certainly good news for the Buckeyes, but seems like too little too late.
Wilson's relationship with North Carolina goes back more than a year, so the Ohio State staff had a rather large hill to climb from the beginning. He'll likely take another visit to Chapel Hill in the coming weeks, which will cement the Tar Heels as his choice.
