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.
READY TO SHOW OUT
When Orlando Jones four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks committed to Ohio State in late April, it came as a complete surprise. He'd visited Columbus for the first time for the Spring Game a few weeks earlier, but nobody expected him to make the call when he did — or at all, for that matter.
He quickly developed a strong relationship with assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs, and the visit plus the Buckeyes' knack for sending defensive backs to the National Football League sealed the deal for Banks.
"That was a big ring-ding-ding in my choice. That was a big deal," Banks told Eleven Warriors. "That Ohio spirit, too. I've never really been out of Florida like that. When I got to Ohio State, I just fell in love.”
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Banks doesn't have a ton of film, as he's coming off a torn ACL that cost him all of his junior season. But he's shown no ill-effects from the injury this spring, as he earned a spot at Nike Football's The Opening Finals.
“I'm just trying to come out here and show what I can do,” Banks said. "I'm 200 percent. I've been cutting, running and everything.”
Coombs obviously saw a lot of potential in Banks when he stopped by his high school during the spring evaluation period. He made the call that evening.
“I like straightforward people. No sugarcoating, nothing like that,” Banks said. “He's straightforward. He gets to the point. If you're not good, you're not good. If you're good, you're good. He's just going to tell you how it is.”
Schools like Alabama and Florida State are still trying to recruit him, but Banks is using this weekend to improve his relationship with his fellow commits. No wavering on his end.
“I'm really solid with Ohio State,” he said.
Banks may take an official visit to Maryland this fall because the Terrapins were his first offer, but that's it outside of Ohio State.
OFF THE MARKET
In a very similar fashion, Owasso, Oklahoma, four-star safety Josh Proctor committed at halftime of the Spring Game. It was something that had been in the works, however, since he first visited campus for the game against Nebraska in November.
“I had it in my head and I thought about doing it earlier, but my dad told me to sit back and just kind of wait it out, see what you think,” Proctor told Eleven Warriors. “I just felt like that was the right time.”
At the time of his pledge, every 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction for the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Proctor was in favor of the in-state Sooners. The general consensus was that he wouldn't go too far from home, but the Spring Game visit only solidified the decision for him and his parents.
“My mom — I saw how she reacted to it. She really liked it, and it's hard to please her. I'm not going to lie,” Proctor said. “I'm her big baby boy. Last one in the house, so for her to actually let me do this, it's crazy.”
Proctor developed an extremely close relationship with defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, and their bond has only grown stronger since his commitment.
“We're super close. We talk every day,” Proctor said. “He acts like a little kid sometimes, but I actually like it. I'm real comfortable with him.”
Naturally, there are a couple of schools still recruiting Proctor, including Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. But he remains committed with no plans to visit elsewhere.
“[It's] not as strong as you would think,” Proctor said. "They just kind of hit me up every now and then.”
Proctor plans to return to campus for Friday Night Lights later this month. But first, he's excited to play alongside Banks and six other Buckeye commits.
“My whole team is basically Ohio State commits, so for us to kind of get that connection and be able to play with each other before we get to school is a big deal,” Proctor said. “We started [recruiting] as soon as we got off the plane, too."
THERE'S A GLIMMER OF HOPE
In late April, Waldorf, Maryland, North Point four-star offensive tackle Rasheed Walker narrowed down his list of nearly 30 scholarship offers to Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech. And though the Nittany Lions remain the overwhelming favorite to land his pledge, he remains fairly interested in the Buckeyes, as well.
“We talk a lot. Like every day or every other day,” Walker told Eleven Warriors, noting offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and defensive line coach Larry Johnson are his main recruiters. "They're one of the first schools to recruit me early on. I just have a real good relationship with them. I've been able to get down there a couple of times and I really like what I saw.”
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Walker has been to campus several times, most recently in late March.
"I just get good vibes every time I go down there,” Walker said. “I haven't gotten to go down there as many times as I would really want to because of how far it is from my house — about eight, nine hours. But the times I've been down there, I've enjoyed myself and had a real, real good time.”
Ohio State already holds a commitment from Tennessee four-star Max Wray and remains the favorite to land Fairfield five-star Jackson Carman, so it's uncertain how Walker may fit into the Buckeyes' plans. He hopes to make it back to campus for Friday Night Lights to spend time with coaches and get a better understanding of that before he makes a decision.
Walker has no timetable for that, however.
“It could be soon, it could be in a long time,” he said.
REMEMBER ME?
As Ohio State continues to recruit at a high level nationally, local prospects who once seemed destined to end up in Columbus continue to fall by the wayside.
As much could be said for Springfield four-star tight end/defensive end Leonard Taylor, who included the Buckeyes in his Top 10 on Saturday morning alongside Alabama, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
Top 10 Respect It. pic.twitter.com/QPodsVUyo6
— Lenny T (@Lenny_T_20) July 1, 2017
“I've always had a great relationship with Ohio State,” Taylor told Eleven Warriors at The Opening Cleveland Regional in early April. “[Coach Johnson said he likes] my size, my speed and my arm length.”
The 6-foot-6, 246-pound Taylor is considered the 14th-best tight end and No. 302 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, but his true lack of a position has hurt his recruitment. Some schools want him on offense and others on defense, the Buckeyes the latter.
With five-star Taron Vincent in the fold and the staff still in pursuit of Miami four-star commit Nesta Silvera, Taylor is just another in-state prospect seemingly left out in the cold. The Bearcats and Wildcats are among the schools truly vying for his pledge.
