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.
LASTING IMPACT
Though it's been six-plus years since Alpharetta, Georgia, three-star cornerback Jaycee Horn was last on campus, he returned for Ohio State's Spring Game on Saturday and remembered why he fell in love with the program in the first place.
"It was good," Horn told Eleven Warriors. "Felt good to be back."
The 6-foot, 174-pound Horn — the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn — was on campus several years ago with his good friend Connor Heyward, the younger brother of former Ohio State defensive tackle and Georgia native Cam Heyward. He earned an offer from the Buckeyes in March and could hardly contain his excitement.
This trip, which took place much sooner than expected, offered Horn the chance to talk with head coach Urban Meyer and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs in person.
"They had some good things they said," Horn said. "Coach Coombs showed me some film of how he developed defensive backs from their freshman year into first round picks."
Horn, the 60th-best cornerback and No. 666 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, was recently invited to the Under Armour All-America Game. He plans to make another trip to Columbus this fall but is unsure of when he'll make a decision on his future.
"I'm just going to do it when the time is right," Horn said.
READING THE TEA LEAVES
As mentioned in yesterday's edition of The Hurry Up, four-star defensive end Brenton Cox is set to choose this Sunday between Georgia and Ohio State.
If you're someone who puts a lot of stock into what the programs do in the days leading up to the announcement, though, you'll be interested to know the Bulldogs offered a scholarship on Tuesday morning to New Jersey three-star defensive end Jayson Oweh.
Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Georgia. @CoachColey @SaylorBlairFB @BrianDohnScout @DemetricDWarren pic.twitter.com/s9Bk07pQRH
— Clout J (@JaysonOweh) April 18, 2017
Now the two may have little to do with each other, as Cox even said he still hasn't made up his mind. But a similar situation did take place last summer when Michigan State offered a handful of corners just days before Cincinnati cornerback Amir Riep was set to decide between the Buckeyes and Spartans.
Those close to both the program feel increasingly confident Ohio State will land Cox on Sunday, as they say the staff hit it out of the park on his unofficial visit for the Spring Game. Whether the Buckeyes can maintain that momentum through the weekend, especially with his last visit to Athens for G-Day, may be a different story.
Either way, we'll find out soon enough.
THE NEXT BIG IN-STATE TARGET
Canton McKinley offensive tackle Charles Turner, meanwhile, made his first trip to Columbus on Saturday.
I had Great experience at hio State today pic.twitter.com/B7mRWnqSjl
— C.TURNER78 (@turner_cha78) April 15, 2017
"I had a great time and a great experience visiting Ohio State," Turner told Eleven Warriors.
Like most prospects from the Class of 2019, the 6-foot-5, 255-pound Turner is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites and does not hold any offers. He did, however, show a lot of potential at Nike Football's The Opening Cleveland Regional two weekends ago.
Turner met with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa on Saturday, and which time they discussed attending a camp this summer.
"He told me to get to a camp and email him the day I will be coming so he can be expecting me," Turner said, noting Ohio State has long been his favorite school. "That would mean a lot to me and my family because an offer would show that our hard work has paid off."
BUILDING A WALL AROUND THE 513
To the surprise of many, Fairfield four-star defensive end Malik Vann announced on Twitter Tuesday evening he has committed to Cincinnati over finalists Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Committed. #GoBearcats #CinCityPride
— Malik Vann (@MalikVann7) April 18, 2017
It's time for a change. pic.twitter.com/TTQ2JDA9Lw
“I loved the whole staff,” Vann told the Bearcat Journal. “I like the direction Fickell has this team going and the emphasis he's putting on local guys. The recruits around here having the buzz to kickstart a program back to what it once was. Also, them having a top criminal justice program was a factor. Being able to be a part of a change for the city and community to get them excited about UC football was huge.”
The 6-foot-3, 270-pound Vann is considered the 12th-best player in the state of Ohio for the Class of 2018. He's the second big-time pickup for head coach Luke Fickell in two weeks, as the Bearcats also received a pledge from LaSalle four-star tight end Josh Whyle earlier this month.
Vann took several unofficial visits to Ohio State several times over the past two years, but like so many other Ohioans never earned an offer from the Buckeyes. They staff may still offer during his senior year, but Vann clearly didn't want to wait while Fickell showed him that he was a priority.
