The Hurry Up: Decision Looms for Five-Star Running Back While Ohio State Offers Another Virginian

By Andrew Lind on June 26, 2017 at 6:50 pm
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Brandon Smith
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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.

AKERS ALL OVER AGAIN

Months of speculation will finally come to an end at noon Tuesday when Laurinburg, North Carolina, five-star running back Zamir White makes his college decision known during a ceremony at his high school.

He'll have at least three hats on the table, and favorites Georgia and North Carolina will certainly be present. Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State have all made their own separate push to land the top-rated running back in the last few months, but the Bulldogs and Tar Heels seemed to have separated themselves from the pack in recent weeks. 

I've detailed on numerous occasions why Georgia will likely be the pick, made on White's mother's birthday. The two share an extremely strong bond, and she doesn't seem too keen on him playing his college ball too far from home.

Then again, that's why North Carolina has made strides as of late — Chapel Hill is less than 100 miles away from Laurinburg. White was on campus back-to-back weekends earlier this month and spent significant time with Tar Heel sophomore linebacker Jonathan Smith, his former high school teammate. They've known each other since childhood, and that — plus Georgia's struggles on the recruiting trail this cycle — has North Carolina's staff feeling confident as White's decision nears.

Ohio State, meanwhile, already holds commitments from a pair of traditional running backs in four-star Brian Snead and three-star Master Teague III, and the latter's pledge earlier this month seemingly ended all hopes of White landing in Columbus. If he still wanted to play for the Buckeyes, though, the staff would surely accept his commitment and figure out the numbers game down the road. 

That's highly unlikely to happen, though, and Teague's inevitable bump in the recruiting rankings will make most fans forget about the staff's pursuit of White. Though it took a very different path, this was pretty much the same thing that happened with Cam Akers and J.K. Dobbins in this year's recruiting class — and I'm sure you'll all be happy with Dobbins, Snead and Teague tearing up the Big Ten sooner rather than later.

TOLD Y'ALL IT WAS COMING

Mineral, Virginia, Louisa County four-star defensive end Brandon Smith made his first trip to Ohio State on Saturday, at which time he earned an offer from the Buckeyes.

"I had a great time," Smith told Eleven Warriors, noting how linebackers coach Bill Davis and assistant Ryan Crow showed him and his family around campus, that he met with an academic advisor and toured Ohio Stadium. "It was an overall great impression. I was able to get a very good understanding of how things are done there."

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Smith is considered the sixth-best weak-side defensive end and No. 72 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 40 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and two sacks to garner first-team all-conference honors. He holds double-digit offers from programs such as Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Davis, who actually postponed his vacation to meet with Smith, actually views him as a linebacker at the next level despite his ranking as a defensive end.

"He talked about my length and [how my] athletic ability allows me to play out in space," Smith said. "He sees me at the MIKE [middle linebacker] and WILL [weak-side] positions."

Smith intends to return to Columbus for a game this fall. 

"[I'm] looking forward to getting back up there," he said.

WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

Less than a week after a stellar performance at Ohio State's one-day camp, Belleville, Michigan, Oak Park three-star quarterback Dwan Mathis decommitted from Iowa State on Friday night. 

The lanky 6-foot-4, 185-pound Mathis is considered the seventh-best dual-threat quarterback and No. 283 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He committed to the Cyclones back in February over offers from Akron, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Kentucky and Toledo, but has seen his stock rise considerably in the months since.

Mathis was named the most valuable quarterback at Rivals' Three Stripe Camp in Columbus earlier this month, and schools such as Michigan State, Ohio State and Pittsburgh have started to take notice of his talents. He wasn't afraid to go head-to-head with Buckeyes' quarterback commit Emory Jones during the camp, either, which surely caught the attention of head coach Urban Meyer and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day.

“They said I threw the ball well and I have natural talent,” Mathis told Eleven Warriors. "Stuff you can't teach.”

The staff didn't offer Mathis a scholarship at that time, but Day jokingly told his coach they weren't going to let him leave the facility that day. He's not going to be a hidden talent much longer, and I expect the staff to offer at some point in the near future — maybe Friday Night Lights on July 21. 

It would be ideal to get the 2019 quarterback situation figured out this summer or early in the fall, and Mathis' decision to open things back up and his seemingly inevitable offer put him on even footing with the other quarterbacks in his class. 

OFF THE BOARD

A pair of names I've repeatedly told you to keep in mind for later in the recruiting process were Kentucky four-star wide receiver Rondale Moore and Florida three-star tight end Zach Sheffer. 

If Ohio State were to miss out on some of its higher-rated targets, they could have been Plan B at their respective positions. But, then again, why should they wait around when another school makes them a priority?

On Sunday, both Moore and Sheffer decided to end their recruitment and committed to Texas and LSU, respectively. 

The 5-foot-9, 174-pound Moore is considered the 43rd-best wide receiver and No. 213 prospect overall in the Class of 2018 but jumped onto the scene after he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at Nike Football's The Opening Chicago Regional this spring. Ohio State offered him a scholarship a few weeks later, and he instantly became a name to watch.

The Buckeyes are chasing four-stars Kamryn Babb and L'Christian "Blue" Smith, but the lack of a slot receiver on the roster and his relationship with teammate and fellow Ohio State target Stephen Herron Jr. — a top-rated defensive end from the Class of 2019 — maybe had some connecting the dots a little too early. 

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Sheffer, meanwhile, called Ohio State his top school following an unofficial visit in early April. The Buckeyes hope to bring on two tight ends in 2018, but New York four-star Jeremy Ruckert looks to be the only other viable option at this time. 

Sheffer's pledge comes during his first visit to Baton Rouge, so it'll be interesting to see if it sticks. Meyer and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson took a liking to Sheffer, and I could see the staff continue to push for a flip all the way until his pen hits a letter of intent.

ANOTHER LIST

Though he's never been to campus, Tampa Hillsborough three-star cornerback Ken Montgomery Jr. included Ohio State in his Top 6 on Sunday afternoon alongside Alabama, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State and UCLA.

The 6-foot-2, 155-pound Montgomery is considered the 35th-best cornerback and No. 361 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs offered him a scholarship following an in-school visit with his coach in January. 

"It means I have the potential to play with some of the best defensive backs in the country," Montgomery told Eleven Warriors. 

The Buckeyes already hold commitments from Florida four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks and are among the favorites for Texas five-star Anthony Cook and Florida four-star Tyson Campbell, so this will likely be where the interest ends for Montgomery.

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