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.
2-0 VS FLORIDA STATE IN 2017
Ohio State inched closer to the top-rated recruiting class in the country when Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell pledged his services to the Buckeyes over long-time favorite Florida State during a ceremony at his high school on Friday night.
“With Ohio State you get the best of both worlds as far as football and academics,” Mitchell told Recruit757. “Academics played a big part in my decision. Both schools could develop me into a first-round draft pick and contend for a national championship, so it came down to academics for me, and Ohio State has a top business school.”
The Buckeyes trailed for most of the process, but momentum shifted when the 6-foot-2, 232-pound Mitchell made his second trip to Columbus in early April. The staff's plan for him on the field and in life after football clearly made a lasting impression.
With Mitchell in the fold, Ohio State now holds commitments from nine of the Top 88 prospects in the country. The class' .9595 per-recruit average surpasses last year's haul, too, which is absurd given the fact that the 2017 recruiting class was arguably the greatest of all time. And to think it's still far from being complete.
That said, Mitchell plans to shut down his recruitment entirely. He's already started recruiting for the Buckeyes and hopes to enroll early with the goal of locking down a starting spot next year.
“I've done my research,” Mitchell said. “They have three linebackers that are supposed to leave for the draft next year. The opportunity is there. For Urban Meyer, you have to work for everything. I'm ready to go in there and get that spot.”
NOT TO WORRY
Mitchell's decision followed a similar path to that of Georgia five-star defensive end Brenton Cox, who also spurned the school with whom he had an established relationship for the one who made a late push. And though he too said he was shutting down his recruitment following his commitment in late April, Cox arrived at Alabama for a three-day unofficial visit this afternoon.
Naturally, it caused a bit of consternation in Buckeye Nation this weekend. But Cox told Cleveland.com on Saturday afternoon fans shouldn't worry about his pledge.
“I mean, it doesn't matter because I'm done with recruiting,” Cox said. “I'm straight. I was just going just to go... I'm not looking to decommit or go to Alabama. I'm going to Ohio State.
“This is my first time really doing this since I committed,” he continued. “I haven't really been going anywhere. I don't really know how it works, if they don't want me doing it. I don't know if there's a restriction of what I can do."
I've said it before and I'll say it again now: If the familiar and long-time favorite Bulldogs weren't able to land Cox in the first place, there's little chance he backs off his commitment to the Buckeyes. And unless the staff tells him he can't go on any more visits, I expect him see a few more schools before ultimately signing his letter of intent in December.
It's all just part of the process, and he should enjoy it without having everyone analyze every step he takes.
FALLING APART
When Dayton Dunbar three-star running back Tavion Thomas burst onto the recruiting scene back in February, it seemed like only a matter of time before he committed to Ohio State.
Never mind the fact that the Buckeyes already held a commitment from Florida four-star Brian Snead and were on the verge of landing Westerville South four-star Jaelen Gill, the narrative attached was that the staff couldn't afford to let a school like Alabama come into their back yard and steal away a prospect of Thomas' caliber.
That now feels like a distant memory, though, as Thomas did not include Ohio State in his Top 7 on Saturday afternoon. He instead listed Alabama, Cincinnati, Louisville, Oklahoma, USC, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Top 7 videos cumin soon pic.twitter.com/5RSL52c4ZV
— lackofworries (@tavionthomas937) June 3, 2017
“Those are the only schools that have mainly been here for me during my recruiting process,” Thomas told 247Sports. “They have shown me a lot of love.”
There are a number of factors that contributed to Thomas' decision to leave Ohio State on the outside looking in, including the Buckeyes' pursuit of North Carolina five-star running back Zamir White — Tennessee three-star Master Teague III may have passed him on the priority chart, too. There's also concerns over his grades and he's reportedly a package deal with his teammate, four-star wide receiver Joseph “JoJo” Scates, who doesn't hold an offer from Ohio State.
Scates, a former Michigan State pledge, also narrowed down his offers to Alabama, Cincinnati, Louisville, Oklahoma, Rutgers and West Virginia on Saturday night. The two plan to make a joint decision in July.
OF NO RELATION
Seemingly lost among the recent #BOOMs, Ohio State recently offered a scholarship to Lakeland, Florida, Kathleen four-star safety Brendan Gant.
Blessed to receive and offer from Ohio State University pic.twitter.com/7EcrdWPa2d
— BG33 (@TheReal_BGant) June 1, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 176-pound Gant is considered the ninth-best safety and No. 165 prosect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Gant grew up a fan of the Gators, but the Seminoles are the early favorite to land his pledge.
EVERY STEP YOU TAKE
The Buckeyes also recently extended a scholarship offer to Arlington, Texas, Lamar four-star defensive tackle Bobby Brown. It's worth noting he doesn't play at the same high school as five-star cornerback Anthony Cook and four-star wide receiver Al'vonte Woodard, though the two Lone Star State schools share the same name.
I've just received a offer from the Ohio State Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/n7iCcEIk3I
— I hate OL's (@tre_brown8700) June 1, 2017
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Brown is considered the 14th-best defensive tackle and No. 154 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he recorded 40 tackles, six tackles for a loss and three sacks for the Vikings last season. He holds nearly 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.
