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.
ATHENS BOUND
To no one's surprise, Laurinburg, North Carolina, Scotland County five-star running back Zamir White committed to Georgia this afternoon over finalists Alabama, Clemson, North Carolina and Ohio State.
— Zeus34 (@zeus1_34) June 27, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound White was considered a heavy Bulldog lean thanks to proximity and perceived playing time, and his decision to announce his college decision today — his mother's birthday — made this a foregone conclusion.
There was a time when the Buckeyes had a legitimate chance to land White. His relationship with running backs coach Tony Alford goes back more than a year to when he first visited Columbus and attended the football program's annual job fair. White made three more trips to campus on his own dime, most recently for the Spring Game in April, but the distance from home and overall depth at the position did not help Ohio State's chances.
The Buckeyes currently hold commitments from four-star running back Brian Snead and three-star Master Teague III, and the writing was on the wall when the staff accepted the latter's pledge just over two weeks ago. Unless one decommits — which is highly unlikely — Ohio State is done with the running back position for the Class of 2018.
White, meanwhile, told reporters gathered at his high school on Tuesday that he is also done with the recruiting process. North Carolina made a terrific push in the last month, but it was Alabama that was his runner-up. Then again, the runner-up is still the first loser.
The coaching change from Mark Richt to Kirby Smart briefly allowed other schools to get their foot in the door, but White was set on playing for the Bulldogs since he visited Athens for the first time during his freshman year.
KEEPING IT IN THE B1G
Last week, my colleague (intern?) T.J. Neer wrote a fantastic piece about Ohio State's growing pipeline at Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall. The Buckeyes snagged Curtis Samuel in 2014 and Jahsen Wint in 2016 and then landed a commitment earlier this month from four-star offensive guard Matthew Jones.
While there's still plenty of talent to come through those halls in the next few years, the only other Dutchman with an offer from Ohio State at the moment is three-star athlete Aron Cruickshank. However, he'll soon be standing on the opposite sideline, as he committed to Wisconsin this morning.
Committed pic.twitter.com/eekoCIKqhw
— Aron (@aron_ehall2018) June 27, 2017
The 5-foot-9, 155-pound Cruickshank is considered the 22nd-best athlete and No. 415 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he rushed for 1,009 yards and 16 touchdowns and threw for 12 more as the quarterback for the Dutchmen last season. He picked Wisconsin over offers from Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Syracuse and Virginia.
Cruickshank certainly showed a knack for running the ball in his junior season at E-Hall, the only problem with his Buckeye recruitment right now is that he'll likely be in the same position as Jaelen Gill. And while Cruickshank is a talented Top 500 recruit, he may be outmatched by Gill, who currently ranks within the Top 50.
Cruickshank is the Badgers' second-highest rated verbal commitment, which ranks No. 23 overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
TONS OF TALENT
Earlier this month, Ohio State surpassed Miami for the top spot in ESPN's recruiting class rankings. And while the Buckeyes hold fewer commitments than the Hurricanes, the quality of each prospect is what pushed them into the lead.
The self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports once again updated its rankings for the Class of 2018 on Tuesday, and Ohio State continues to put up impressive numbers. The Buckeyes lead the nation with nine pledges among the Top 100 prospects in the ESPN300, while Clemson, Florida State and Texas have five apiece.
The ESPN 300 has been updated: https://t.co/mo5ofY5NJN
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 27, 2017
And here are a few prospects to watch this summer https://t.co/WNu6tuXrBt
A look at where each future Buckeyes sits according to ESPN (listed alongside their composite ranking):
- No. 12 (11) – Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent
- No. 18 (22) – Stockbridge, Georgia, four-star defensive end Brenton Cox
- No. 19 (54) – Brooklyn Erasmus Hall four-star offensive tackle Matthew Jones
- No. 22 (31) – Franklin, Georgia, Heard County four-star dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones
- No. 35 (34) – Westerville South four-star athlete Jaelen Gill
- No. 40 (38) – Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star inside linebacker Teradja Mitchell
- No. 61 (30) – Bellflower, California, St. John Bosco four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey
- No. 70 (77) – Franklin, Tennessee, four-star offensive tackle Max Wray
- No. 100 (250) – Orlando Jones four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks
- No. 130 (298) – Fort Lauderdale American Heritage four-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield
- No. 166 (91) – Owasso, Oklahoma, four-star safety Josh Proctor
- No. 170 (83) – Seffner, Florida, Armwood four-star running back Brian Snead
- No. 227 (133) – Toledo St. John's Jesuit four-star inside linebacker Dallas Gant
- NR (495) – Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman four-star running back Master Teague III
