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.
THE MAKINGS OF A PIPELINE
When Ohio State landed a commitment this summer from Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell, it was rather easy to see he was coming from an on-the-rise program stocked with elite talent.
One teammate who has caught the eye of a number of top programs is four-star cornerback Sheridan Jones, whom the Buckeyes offered on Sunday night.
Blessed to receive another offer from THE Ohio State University #GoBucks #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/UCM0qV9Wri
— SHERIDAN JONES (@SJones3_) August 13, 2017
"It means a lot [and] it shows that they actually have interest in me," Jones told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Jones is considered the top-rated cornerback and No. 34 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he recorded 20 tackles and two pass break ups for the Crusaders last season. He holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, but Ohio State stands out early in the process.
"The draft has really got my eye," Jones said. "They put a lot of defensive backs into the league."
Of course, Jones hears a lot about everything the program has to offer from Mitchell. But head coach Urban Meyer, assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs and wide receivers coach/area recruiter Zach Smith have also made a great impression.
"From videos I've seen, they keep the practices live, and that's something I really like," Jones said. "And I can see they really like me."
Jones has never been to campus, but plans to take his first unofficial visit for a game this fall.
FILLING OUT THE ROSTER
Ohio State assistant player of personnel Eron Hodges has been quite busy as of late, handing out another preferred walk-on offer to Bishop Watterson defensive end Perry Finnegan.
Extremely thankful to have received an offer to be a Preferred Walk-On at The Ohio State University! pic.twitter.com/HvHXko8L5X
— Perry (@FinneganPerry) August 13, 2017
"I was speechless for a moment," Finnegan told Eleven Warriors. "It's been a life-long dream of mine to play for Ohio State."
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Finnegan is not ranked by any major recruiting sites, as he recorded 21 tackles for Bishop Watterson in only 2 1/2 games last season. It's likely he caught Meyer's attention during a scrimmage against Upper Arlington on Saturday, though, as his son, Nate, plays wide receiver for the Eagles.
"Coach Hodges said he saw my film and was impressed with it," Finnegan said.
Finnegan holds a scholarship offer from Brown, but will seriously consider the walk-on opportunity with Ohio State.
"I loved the camp and the coaches at Brown, and the Ivy League is great. However I have been a Buckeye fan all my life [and] the academics at Ohio State are top notch."
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER BATCH OF RANKINGS
ESPN unveiled its initial ESPNJr300 on Monday morning, and the list was full of prospects with offers from Ohio State.
2019 could be Jim McElwain's best class at #Florida ... Your guide to the first 2019 ESPN Junior 300 https://t.co/vNcRz35ThR
— Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) August 14, 2017
It's worth noting the recruiting service doesn't hand out a fifth star until later in the process, but here's a look at who the Buckeyes are chasing among the Top 100:
- No. 2 - Olentangy Orange four-star defensive end Zach Harrison
- No. 3 - Georgia four-star linebacker Owen Pappoe
- No. 4 - Georgia four-star defensive end commit Nolan Smith II
- No. 5 - Georgia four-star wide receiver commit Jadon Haselwood
- No. 9 - Michigan four-star offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs
- No. 10 - St. Louis four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington
- No. 13 - Florida four-star safety Josh Sanguinetti
- No. 16 - Virginia four-star linebacker Brandon Smith
- No. 18 - Oklahoma four-star athlete Daxton Hill
- No. 20 - Texas four-star safety Brian Williams
- No. 23 - IMG Academy four-star running back Noah Cain
- No. 25 - Florida four-star linebacker Ge'Mon Eaford
- No. 27 - St. Louis four-star athlete Isaiah Williams
- No. 30 - Georgia four-star athlete Ja'shawn Sheffield
- No. 32 - California four-star athlete Horace "Bru" McCoy
- No. 34 - Georgia four-star offensive guard Keiondre Jones
- No. 38 - Baltimore four-star linebacker Shane Lee
- No. 41 - Texas four-star linebacker Marcel Brooks
- No. 44 - Michigan four-star wide receiver Julian Barnett
- No. 58 - Ohio State four-star offensive tackle commit Doug Nester
- No. 63 - New Jersey four-star wide receiver "Rocket" Ronnie Hickman
- No. 66 - Oregon four-star quarterback Michael Johnson Jr.
- No. 79 - Cincinnati Walnut Hills four-star defensive tackle Jowon Briggs
- No. 86 - Minnesota four-star offensive tackle Quinn Carroll
- No. 96 - St. Louis four-star linebacker Shammond Cooper
Georgia has made a significant push early on, but it'll be interesting to see if those pledges hold. Particularly with Nolan Smith, who 2018 five-star defensive end commit Brenton Cox called one of his top targets on the recruiting trail.
A SUCCESSION OF PEOPLE FROM THE SAME FAMILY
Speaking of the top juniors in the country, the aforementioned Hodges announced on Twitter Sunday night Ohio State's Class of 2019 — much to this dismay of Eleven Warriors commenter Eddie27Zeke15 — will be here forth known as #DYN19STY.
#DYN19STY coming soon pic.twitter.com/2v9MFOktvS
— Eron Hodges (@EronHodges) August 13, 2017
For those keeping track at home, that means we've recently had Dream '14, Elite '15, Select '17 and Supreme '18 — the Class of 2016 didn't have a fancy moniker, though Sweet '16 would have probably worked.
Anyway, Ohio State currently holds one commitment for 2019 in the above-mentioned Nester (yeah, he dropped in the 247Sports Composite rankings following his pledge, too). As other prospects join the class, look for their hashtag to be used more often on social media.
