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.
MAKING MOVES
Penn State offered a scholarship to Cleveland St. Ignatius three-star offensive tackle Darian Kinnard earlier this week, so, naturally, Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and running backs coah Tony Alford stopped by his high school on Friday afternoon.
The 6-foot-7, 336-pound Kinnard is considered the 31st-best offensive tackle and No. 424 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He doesn't have an offer from Ohio State, but is certainly a name to keep in mind in the coming months. He throws shot put and discus for the Wildcats' track and field team, so taking visits isn't a priority for him this spring.
Of course, Ohio State already holds a commitment from Tennessee four-star offensive tackle Max Wray and remains in the hunt for five-star Jackson Carman, but the staff will likely want to take a third tackle thanks to the overall lack of depth at the position in Columbus. If the staff offers, Kinnard would likely fill that role.
SOMETHING FAMILIAR
Another, albeit younger, prospect who may earn an offer from Ohio State with a strong camp circuit this summer is Springfield defensive tackle Isaiah Gibson. He made his eighth visit to Columbus in the past year and second in as many weeks for the Buckeyes' Spring Game on Saturday.
“It was good, and the food was on point,” Gibson told Eleven Warriors, fondly remembering the rather larger spread of ribs, chicken, macaroni and cheesy potatoes.
The 6-foot-2, 263-pound Gibson is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but is undoubtedly one of the top defensive linemen in the state for the Class of 2019.
The position is rather stacked, though, with players like Olentangy Orange's Zach Harrison, Walnut Hills' Jowon Briggs and Lakota West's Steven Faucheux already earning an offer or receiving significant interest from Ohio State, so every visit is just another for Gibson to get to know the staff better and vice versa.
“It's getting there,” Gibson said. “A foundation is getting laid and I'm building on that.”
BIG "BLUE" NATION?
Huber Heights Wayne four-star wide receiver L'Christian “Blue” Smith recently announced on Twitter that he will narrow down his list of scholarship offers next week, and Ohio State and Kentucky will undoubtedly make the cut.
Huber Heights Wayne four-star wide receiver L'Christian Smith (@bluesmith_) will release his Top 10 next week. Ohio State will make cut.
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) April 20, 2017
“They just want me,” Smith told Eleven Warriors during Nike Football's The Opening Cleveland Regional earlier this month. “[Coach Urban Meyer and Zach Smith are] bringing me in their offices, talking to me personally without my dad and the other coaches. Just one-on-one, kind of sit down and show me who's leaving, who they're missing and where they need me at. Stuff like that. Just seeing that stuff proves to me they really want me at the school.”
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Smith is considered the third-best player in the state for the Class of 2018, but is seriously considering playing for the Wildcats thanks to his high school teammate Alex Reigelsperger and recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow.
“The people down there. When I go down there, everyone in the facility — it doesn't matter if they know me — they see me walking and they're stopping whatever they're doing to see how I'm doing, if I need anything. It just feels like another home down there,” Smith said. “I talk to coach Marrow every day. He's a super recruiter. He knows what he's doing. It's just the people pretty much, the community down there.”
Schools like Michigan, Notre Dame and Tennessee are all intriguing to Smith, which is why each will likely be included next week. He plans to make a final decision on his future this fall, though, so they'll have to make a move sooner rather than later.
In the end, it's hard to see Smith going anywhere other than Ohio State or Kentucky.
“I'm a momma's boy, so leaving my mom is going to be kind of hard,” he said. “I just want to go somewhere where I know I'm being taken care of, I'm being protect protected and I'm pushed to my fullest potential.”
HOPING TO CATCH THEIR ATTENTION
One prospect hoping to hear from Ohio State sooner rather than later is West Palm Beach, Florida, Inlet Grove Community athlete Butler Brown III.
“It would be awesome,” Brown told Eleven Warriors. “It would mean that all my hard work would pay off. All those restless nights thinking that I'm not good enough actually mean something. My constant studying was not in vain. My 6 a.m. workouts, my breakfast clubs, running the bleachers and constant tire flips actually panned out.”
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Brown is not ranked by any major recruiting sites, but Akron, Harvard, Kent State, Miami (OH), Memphis, Toledo, UCF and Yale have all shown interest in bringing him on as a linebacker.
Of course, Ohio State remains the hunt for highly sought-after linebackers like Virginia Beach's Teradja Mitchell, Toledo's Dallas Gant and Cincinnati's Christopher Oats, among others. But if the Buckeyes ultimately strike out with any of them, Brown feels he has what it takes to take their spot in the Class of 2018.
“My grades [stand out] and my hard work on and off the field,” he said. “I won't let anyone outwork me, so I would have to say my willingness to work. My ambition tells a lot about me. I want it more.”
PLAYING POLITICS
ESPN released its latest rankings for the Class of 2018 on Thursday, and the network's recruiting analysts were not so kind to some of Ohio State's seven commits.
They are listed as follows:
- No. 12 - Five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent
- No. 23 - Four-star quarterback Emory Jones
- No. 38 - Four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey
- No. 65 - Four-star offensive tackle Max Wray
- No. 74 - Four-star running back Jaelen Gill
- No. 165 - Four-star safety Josh Proctor
- No. 169 - Four-star running back Brian Snead
It's a far cry from 247Sports' Composite Rankings (a combination of 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout), which has Proctor as the Buckeyes' lowest-rated pledge at No. 86.
