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.
TRENDING THE RIGHT WAY
As you well know by now, Lindenhurst, New York, four-star tight end Jeremy Ruckert announced on Friday night he'll be making his college decision on July 17 at 3 p.m. And as he mentioned just four days prior -- why not just share this all at once? -- he'll choose among Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
With plans to be in Columbus for Friday Nights on July 21, it's easy to see where things are heading. But let's take a step back and analyze the situation for a second.
The Buckeyes have long been considered the favorite for the 6-foot-6, 238-pound Ruckert thanks to his relationship with head coach Urban Meyer and his growing bond with offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, the latter of whom is surely salivating at the chance to coach a tight end of his caliber.
The Badgers, Fighting Irish and Wolverines, meanwhile, have each made their own pushes during unofficial visits this spring, too, thanks to their respective academics and on-field accomplishments. Michigan is probably the biggest threat to Ohio State's chances given the way it used former tight end Jake Butt in recent seasons. But all that said, it's hard to see Ruckert choosing anyone but the Buckeyes.
I was told by a source close to the program July was going to be a big month for Ohio State on the recruiting trail. Ruckert's pledge just days ahead of the annual recruiting extravaganza could easily spark a chain of events that carries the Buckeyes toward the top spot in the recruiting rankings come February.
REMEMBER ME?
It's a rarity in today's landscape for a prospect to handle his recruitment in relative silence, but such has been the case for Cincinnati Winton Woods four-star linebacker Christopher Oats. He took to Twitter over the weekend, though, to announce he will return to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights two weekends from now.
I will be at Ohio State Friday Night Lights
— christopher oats 4 (@ChristopherOats) July 8, 2017
"[I'm looking forward] to just seeing how well of a coach coach [Bill] Davis is," Oats told Eleven Warriors. "And to get some one-on-one time with him."
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Oats has been on campus numerous times over the last year, but seems to have been forgotten after defensive coordinator Luke Fickell took the head gig at Cincinnati. The two have a great relationship, which is why the Bearcats have become the presumed favorite in Oats' recruitment.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, have been playing catch-up with the aforementioned Davis in the fold.
Ohio State also landed commitments from four-star linebackers Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant over the spring. And with targets like Solomon Tuliaupupu and K'Vaughan Pope still out there, there are questions about where Oats fits into the equation, too.
Oats, the 19th-best outside linebacker and No. 255 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, hasn't let that change his feelings about the Buckeyes. The staff has been honest with him throughout the process and has laid out a plan for how they see him fitting into their defense.
"They see me playing as their SAM (strong-side) linebacker because I can cover and play the run, and they also see me as MIKE (middle)," Oats said.
This visit will give Oats the opportunity to show the staff what he's capable of. And though the odds are against him, he doesn't plan on making a decision among Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma until after his senior season.
By the time that rolls around, there will be a bit more clarity at the crowded linebacker position. Only time will tell if Oats is the one left standing.
LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY
St. Louis Lutheran North four-star defensive end Ronnie Perkins told Eleven Warriors he also plans to attend Friday Night Lights next week.
"I've talked to coach Larry Johnson about coming to camp and about my interest in Ohio State," Perkins said.
The 6-foot-3, 256-pound Perkins is considered the fifth-best weak-side defensive end and No. 115 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he recorded 47 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and three sacks for the Crusaders last season. He recently listed a Top 12 of Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, TCU and USC, but that would certainly need to be updated if Ohio State came calling.
"It would mean a lot," Perkins said. "One of the greatest programs around right now."
Perkins was invited to The Opening Finals and played on Team Savage Pro last weekend, so he's definitely among the nation's best prospects. But with defensive ends Andrew Chatfield and Brenton Cox already in the fold and the staff still in pursuit of Jayson Oweh, Micah Parsons and Tyreke Smith, it's hard to imagine he'd jump any of them on the priority chart even if he did get an offer.
I JUST DON'T GET IT
Fresh off The Opening Finals, 247Sports unveiled its latest update to the Top247 on Monday afternoon. Several prospects, including the aforementioned Ruckert and offensive guard target Jamaree Salyer, gained a fifth star, while a number of Ohio State commits saw their rankings fluctuate as a result.
They are as follows — with their current ranking (change):
- No. 18 - Taron Vincent (-8)
- No. 33 - Josh Proctor (-9)
- No. 42 - Jaiden Woodbey (-11)
- No. 45 - Jaelen Gill (-4)
- No. 50 - Master Teague III (+152)
- No. 51 - Dallas Gant (-28)
- No. 55 - Matthew Jones (-9)
- No. 56 - Brenton Cox (-8)
- No. 58 - Max Wray (-7)
- No. 82 - Emory Jones (-9)
- No. 114 - Brian Snead (-11)
- No. 149 - Teradja Mitchell (-12)
Pledges Andrew Chatfield and Sevyn Banks were not ranked among the Top 247 prospects, but sit No. 250 and 293, respectively, in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Other notable targets include the above-mentioned Smith jumping from No. 149 to 71, Parsons from No. 8 to 4 and cornerback Tyson Campbell from No. 40 to 20.
Ohio State remains second to Miami in the 247Sports Composite Rankings as a result.
