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.
HE'S BACK
Ohio State four-star running back commit Jaelen Gill was sidelined for most of his junior season after he suffered a fractured fibula in the second game of the year. He's now fully healthy, though, and gave a reminder on Tuesday night just how dynamic he can be with the ball in his hands.
Reminder pic.twitter.com/9JPVYVgGoB
— Raaaaaad Chaaaaad (@jaelengill21) May 31, 2017
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound Gill rushed for 1,553 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught seven passes for 224 yards and three more scores. His five-touch, three-touchdown performance in a preseason scrimmage ahead of the 2016 season had Westerville South thinking of a return trip to the state playoffs, but the Wildcats struggled to a 1-9 record without him.
Gill has shown no ill effects from the injury this spring, as he played a full season of baseball and earned invitations to Nike Football's The Opening Finals and Rivals' Five-Star Challenge later this summer. He'll also compete in the 4x100-meter relay at the state championships this coming weekend.
PITT IS IT
As I alluded to in last night's edition of The Hurry Up, Butler, Pennsylvania, three-star offensive guard Jake Kradel was on the verge of committing to Pittsburgh following an unofficial visit on Tuesday morning. He pledged his services to the Panthers shortly thereafter, and it should come as no surprise given Ohio State's deteriorating interest follow his subpar performance at The Opening Cleveland Regional last month.
STAYING HOME#L1TS8URGH pic.twitter.com/JFINupzQ0C
— Jake Kradel (@JakeKradel) May 30, 2017
Ohio State offensive line coach Greg Studrawa offered the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Kradel a scholarship in early March following an unofficial visit for spring practice, and it seemed as if it were only a matter of time before he committed to the Buckeyes as a center. But, as mentioned, he struggled a bit against higher-rated defenders at the prestigious camp.
Kradel returned to campus again for the Spring Game in mid-April and included Ohio State in his Top 7 alongside Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, UCLA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia shortly thereafter. The staff had shifted its focus by then to IMG Academy four-star Verdis Brown at center, and Kradel's potential commitment seemed like a thing of the past.
With that said, Kradel made the short trip to Pittsburgh on Tuesday with no plans of making the call. But an in-depth pitch from head coach Pat Narduzzi and stroll around campus changed his mind rather quickly.
“I think just being close to home and being around my family and friends and everything,” Kradel told Rivals. “Also, feeling comfortable with the coaches – I just felt kind of at home there. I love the campus and I love what Coach Narduzzi is doing with the program and it felt right. It felt like a great fit.”
Of course, Pittsburgh fans are going to paint it as a win for the Panthers over the Buckeyes — take them any way you can, I guess, considering Ohio State's 72-0 rout the last time the two programs met on the gridiron. But I digress.
Kradel has no plans to take any more visits, and will likely take on a leadership role in Pittsburgh's class.
PROTECTING THE FLAG UP NORTH
I also talked yesterday about Detroit Cass Tech four-star cornerback Kalon Gervin, as he'll attend the Ohio State's one-day position camp on June 17. He's not the only Michigander hoping to land an offer from the Buckeyes, though, as Saline cornerback Myles “M.J.” Griffin told Eleven Warriors he'll make his third trip to campus on the 9th.
“My mom told me she had a dream that I went to Ohio State,” Griffin said.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Griffin is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but holds offers from Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Indiana, Iowa State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Temple and Toledo after recording 15 tackles and five pass breakups during his sophomore season will Belleville. He transferred to Saline in December.
Griffin attended Ohio State's win over Tulsa last September and has maintained constant contact with defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs ever since.
"[He] hasn't seen me in a while," Griffin said, noting how he's grown three inches since their last meeting.
TEXAS TAG TEAM
A few weeks back, Ohio State quarterbacks coach Ryan Day was in Allen, Texas, to watch 2019 four-star quarterback Grant Tisdale compete in spring practice, at which time he offered a scholarship to the rising junior.
Another player who stood out that day was four-star wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., who also earned a scholarship offer this afternoon during a phone call with head coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson.
Blessed beyond measures to say I have received an offer from The Ohio State University!!! #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/PzEarkOkGx
— Theo Wease Jr (@weasejr_) May 31, 2017
The 6-foot-3, 189-pound Wease is considered the seventh-best wideout and No. 32 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 35 receptions for 421 yards and eight touchdowns for the Eagles last season. He holds 30 offers from programs such as Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA.
Wease actually pledged his services to the Sooners in February following a trip to Norman for Junior Day but decommitted in April.
Like Tisdale, the Buckeyes were one of Wease's favorite teams growing up. Will they make it a package deal for Ohio State in 2019? I like the Buckeyes' early odds.
A SATELLITE CAMP IN OREGON
Last week, four-star safety Josh Proctor became the sixth Ohio State commit to earn an invitation to The Opening Finals, a number that could grow to seven depending on Emory Jones' performance at the Elite 11 Finals this weekend.
The aforementioned Gill will participate in the event for the second time, as a handful of underclassmen are invited each year. Six have been invited thus far, including Ohio State targets Zach Harrison, Jowon Briggs, Devontae Dobbs and Owen Pappoe.
"I look forward to the competition," Briggs, who competed at the above-mentioned Cleveland Regional, told Eleven Warriors.
These 6 young bucks of the Class of 2019 are getting called up to #TheOpening Finals. pic.twitter.com/MnXmpPUCtQ
— The Opening (@TheOpening) May 31, 2017
I found the wording in that tweet — "six young bucks" — to be a bit interesting given the fact that the Buckeyes are the favorites to land three of them.
The Opening Finals will be held in Beaverton, Oregon, June 28-July 3.
