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.
GOING IN TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
Just one day before he's set to make his college decision on his father's birthday, St. Louis Christian Brothers College four-star wide receiver Cameron Brown included Ohio State in his Final 5 alongside Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Nebraska.
My Dad birthday is tomorrow August 7th. One of these schools will be picked at @ 1... Stay Tuned pic.twitter.com/8H56UE2B3h
— Cameron Brown (@luh_cam_) August 6, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Brown is considered the 55th-best receiver and No. 311 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he racked up a team-leading 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Cadets last season. He actually committed to the Cornhuskers in early May, but reopened his recruitment shortly after he earned a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes during a one-day camp in early June.
A flurry of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were placed in favor of Ohio State in the days following thanks to Brown's relationship with teammate Kamryn Babb, who is arguably the staff's top priority at the wideout position. While wide receivers coach Zach Smith has done a solid job building upon that relationship in the last two months, it's probably not enough to suggest Brown would pick the Buckeyes tomorrow afternoon.
That leaves Nebraska as the odds-on favorite to land Brown's pledge tomorrow, which will give us the typically rare commit, decommit and then recommit a few months later. Babb's decision, meanwhile, could come at any time.
CHATTER AROUND CHATFIELD
With Ohio State holding commitments from defensive ends Brenton Cox and Andrew Chatfield and awaiting decisions from priority targets Micah Parsons, Tyreke Smith and Jayson Oweh in the coming months, there's been a lot of skepticism about how the staff could take as many as five players at the position — it's possible, but highly unlikely.
Thus Chatfield, who recently visited and was offered by Florida, has become a trendy pick to flip his pledge to the Gators.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the 6-foot-2, 221-pound Chatfield — who was one of 800 athletes from more than 100 schools across South Florida to attend the Miami Dolphins' annual high school media day — was asked about his commitment to Ohio State and interest in Florida this weekend.
“I am committed, so I am 100 percent,” Chatfield told reporters gathered at the event. “You know, I made a choice. The coaches don't mind me visiting and seeing other schools.”
The trip to Gainesville for the Gators' rendition of Friday Night Lights was notable because Chatfield did not have an offer from any of the major Sunshine State schools — Florida, Florida State or Miami — at the time of his pledge. The chatter will only be amplified if the Hurricanes or Seminoles enter the fray, too.
Chatfield added that he plans to take additional visits this fall, including to Columbus for either the Oklahoma or Penn State game, but it'll be interesting to see how things unfold if Smith or Parsons make the call sooner rather than later. Oweh, meanwhile, won't announce until January, so the situation may already have itself settled by then.
THE LEGION OF BOOM
Ohio State offered a scholarship on Sunday afternoon to Flower Mound, Texas, Marcus four-star linebacker Marcel Brooks.
Blessed to receive a offer from hio state University.
— AKA SNIPER9 (@MarcelBrooks_5) August 6, 2017
Top5list pic.twitter.com/n8yPI5YobB
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Brooks is considered the seventh-best outside linebacker and No. 85 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, though he played safety at Fort Worth's Nolan Catholic last season. He holds nearly 20 offers from programs such as Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and Texas A&M.
Brooks — who compares his game to that of Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor, widely considered the hardest hitting player in the National Football League — saw his stock soar following his performance at Michael Vick's V7 Elite Playmakers Showcase in May.
The Longhorns and Sooners are considered the favorites at this stage in his recruitment, but it's worth noting Brooks called Penn State his “dream school” upon announcing his offer from the Nittany Lions later that month.
