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.
FINGER LICKIN' GOOD
On Thursday, Ohio State offensive tackle commit Max Wray — a Franklin, Tennessee, native — was named the top player in The Tennessean's Dandy Dozen, a collection of the Top 12 high school seniors in the Nashville area.
The 6-foot-7, 289-pound Wray, who pledged his services to the Buckeyes on the morning of the annual Spring Game in mid-April, beat out fellow Ohio State commit Master Teague III, Vanderbilt pledge Camron Johnson and Tennessee commit Brant Lawless — among others — for the honor. Teague, if you're wondering, came in at No. 5 overall.
In the interview, Wray was asked about the reasons for his pledge, his 11-inch grown spurt in middle school and subsequent move from quarterback to offensive tackle. But one portion stood out — something to which I completely relate as the oldest of five children.
So what does your parents' grocery bill look like?
"It's a lot," said Max, a Franklin senior offensive tackle. "Whenever my parents are asked, 'What do you spend on food?' they say, 'A lot. Do you want to trade bills?'"
No.
He described one of his favorite meals his mother cooked recently. It included two 10-by-10 inch lasagna pans full of poppy seed chicken. There were also green beans and a salad.
His parents each had a reasonable, small portion. Max and Jake, a sophomore, ate the rest.
"That's probably our favorite meal," Max said. "She'll make it every couple of weeks. She usually doubles or triples every recipe so she can feed us.
"Even if we don't eat it all, we get leftovers for later."
Coincidentally, Wray's mom, Stacy, had Max's fellow offensive linemen over for breakfast this morning. You can only imagine how much food it takes to feed them...
5lbs of hash browns, 32 eggs, dozens of strips of bacon & 8 lineman = a football lovin', rib stickin' cookin' mama's dream! pic.twitter.com/LF30Wo2T3v
— Stacy Wray (@StacyLWray) July 13, 2017
"It's the greatest thing ever," Wray told Eleven Warriors. "So good."
Sounds like I need to make my way down to the Volunteer State the next time Momma Wray makes breakfast or some of that poppy seed chicken lasagna. Max, meanwhile, will be back in Ohio next week for Friday Night Lights.
END TO THAT NARRATIVE?
We'll learn the fate of Lindenhurst, New York, four-star tight end Jeremy Ruckert in just a few short days, as he's set to decide among Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin at 3 o'clock on Monday afternoon. And though most, including myself, believe it's a foregone conclusion he'll end up with the Buckeyes, his decision certainly won't be based on the staff's use — or lack thereof — of the tight end position.
From SBNation's Bud Elliott, who I got to know pretty well at The Opening Finals earlier this month.
Ohio State has cultivated a reputation for not throwing to its tight ends. That’s part fair, part overblown.
Marcus Baugh was the third-most frequent target on the roster last year and Nick Vannett sixth-most the year before that.
On another hand, Ohio State runs a lot and uses running back-sized players as H-backs, and tight ends have given up a lot in service of that. In Meyer’s five seasons in Columbus, no Buckeye tight end has caught more than 26 passes in a season. Ruckert would top that eventually.
“My main focus is to bring a kind of savviness and kind of stylish take to the position,” he says. “Obviously you’ve gotta stick your nose down and get in people’s faces. But the way the game’s moving nowadays, you’ve gotta be athletic and be able to go make plays, because the quarterback, you’re their safety blanket. They wanna be able to look at you, and now you’re gonna come down with it, and that’s what I really try and do.”
In my opinion, the 6-foot-6, 238-pound Ruckert was among the most impressive players at The Opening, regardless of position. He creates matchup problems across the middle with linebackers because of his speed and his size allows him to shield smaller corners and safeties on the outside or deep down the field.
If he commits to Ohio State, expect offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson — who will be around for at least Ruckert's freshman season — to find him frequently within the flow of the offense. Wilson was Oklahoma's offensive coordinator when tight end Jermaine Gresham recorded 66 catches for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2008, and Ruckert could be that kind of weapon — or better.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER SET OF RANKINGS
As is customary following The Opening Finals, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports updated its recruiting rankings on Thursday morning. Thirteen of Ohio State's 14 commitments remain listed among the ESPN300, with the aforementioned Teague still somehow on the outside looking in.
Ohio State commit @Brenton_cox is a new five-star in the updated 300. Buckeyes have 9 commits in top 100https://t.co/ZOY4SYyx9j
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) July 13, 2017
They are as follows — with their current ranking (change from previous update two weeks ago):
- No. 12 (+6) – Stockbridge, Georgia, five-star defensive end Brenton Cox
- No. 13 (-1) – Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent
- No. 19 (-) – Brooklyn Erasmus Hall four-star offensive tackle Matthew Jones
- No. 23 (-1) – Franklin, Georgia, Heard County four-star dual-threat quarterback Emory Jones
- No. 36 (-1) – Westerville South four-star athlete Jaelen Gill
- No. 42 (-2) – Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star inside linebacker Teradja Mitchell
- No. 65 (-4) – Bellflower, California, St. John Bosco four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey
- No. 74 (-4) – Franklin, Tennessee, four-star offensive tackle Max Wray
- No. 95 (+5) – Orlando Jones four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks
- No. 158 (-18) – Fort Lauderdale American Heritage four-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield
- No. 167 (-1) – Owasso, Oklahoma, four-star safety Josh Proctor
- No. 171 (-1) – Seffner, Florida, Armwood four-star running back Brian Snead
- No. 229 (-2) – Toledo St. John's Jesuit four-star inside linebacker Dallas Gant
- NR (NR) – Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman four-star running back Master Teague III
As you can see, Cox continues to see his stock soar on the camp circuit this spring and summer. He was dominant at The Opening and was included in the Final Five Lineman Challenge.
Chatfield, meanwhile, struggled against bigger offensive lineman because, as I mentioned in my notebook from The Opening, he's a bit lankier than most expected. He'll obviously fill out once he hits a college weight room, but he wasn't as physically imposing as some of the other defensive ends in attendance.
Ohio State continues to lead the nation with six commits ranked among the Top 50 prospects in the country, which is why the Buckeyes regained the top spot from Miami in ESPN's team rankings on Thursday, as well. Clemson and Tennessee are tied with the second-most commits in that range with three each, while Florida State, Miami, Penn State and Texas add two apiece.
