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.
PUTTING HIS ACADEMICS FIRST
It's not often a top-rated recruit puts academics ahead of athletics, but Baltimore Gilman four-star defensive end Thomas Booker unveiled the most academically prestigious Top 5 I've ever seen on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Booker — who is considered the 11th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 225 prospect overall in the Class of 2018 — holds offers from programs such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin, but listed Harvard, Notre Dame, Penn, Princeton and Standford as his five finalists.
Thank you to the coaches, colleges, and universities that have recruited me, and given me an opportunity to represent their institutions! pic.twitter.com/8ajXgzuJD8
— TB7 (@TheThomasBooker) September 13, 2017
“This is a 40-year decision, so academics will always be my first priority,” Booker told Eleven Warriors. “Your mind will always outlast your body.”
The Buckeyes offered Booker a scholarship in late December, which he called a very humbling experience.
“The offer means a lot to me,” he said. “It's an incredible school with a storied football program that screams excellence.”
However, Ohio State and defensive line coach Larry Johnson never made significant strides in his recruitment as it landed five-star defensive end Brenton Cox and four-star Andrew Chatfield instead. The latter, of course, decommitted last month. And with academics playing such a prominent role in Booker's upcoming decision, the Buckeyes never really stood a chance anyway.
NEXT CASS TECH BUCKEYE?
Following their game against Henry Ford Academy, Detroit Cass Tech three-star cornerback Xavier Goldsmith, four-star running back Jaren Mangham and four-star linebacker DeAndre Square — a Kentucky commit — made the trip to Columbus for Ohio State's game against Oklahoma on Saturday night. And even though the Buckeyes fell, 31-16, it didn't dampen the mood.
“I had a ball,” Goldsmith told Eleven Warriors. “The atmosphere was great.”
The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Goldsmith is considered the 87th-best cornerback and No. 827 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, but has started to capture the attention of top programs in his first year as a starter for the Technicians. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Colorado, Mississippi State and Toledo, and schools like Clemson, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Oklahoma have all reached out since the recruiting calendar changed to allow contact from coaches on Sept. 1.
Saturday marked the second unofficial visit for Goldsmith, who also attended last season's blowout of Bowling Green. He has grown especially fond of assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs, whose primary out-of-state recruiting area is the state up north, and the two were able to catch up a bit before the game.
“He was excited that I came down,” Goldsmith said. “He just told me to keep playing hard and we will continue to communicate.”
THE IN-STATE COMPETITOR
The name most associated with Ohio State's quarterback position for the 2020 recruiting cycle is Arizona four-star Jack Miller — and for good reason, too, as he set several state passing records as a freshman and has significant interest in the Buckeyes. But one in-state name to keep in mind in Toledo Whitmer's Riley Keller.
From The Blade's Nick Piotrowicz:
Ohio State has not offered a scholarship to Whitmer’s standout quarterback, but the courtship stage already has begun. Keller competed at Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights camp earlier this summer, and he was a guest last week for the Buckeyes’ home game against Oklahoma.
Keller, who already has two Division I offers, had his first taste of an Ohio State game last week.
“The whole atmosphere was ridiculous,” Keller said. “It was a new experience for me. The way Ohio State does things, I’ve never really seen anything like it. I’ve been to Steelers games, but it’s just different down there.”
At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds and still growing, it looks as if Keller will fit the prototypical mold of a pro-style quarterback. The Buckeyes and programs like Michigan State and Pittsburgh are going to pay close attention to how he develops thorough his sophomore year before offering, though.
Such is life for in-state prospects, even quarterbacks.
ARMY STRONG
Ohio State led the nation for the third-straight year with 11 commits invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl last January. The Buckeyes are well on their way to being the most-represented program this winter, too, with seven players already selected for the high school all-star game.
The full rosters for the game, which will be played in San Antonio on Jan. 6, 2018, were released on Tuesday afternoon. They are as follows:
EAST
- Five-star defensive tackle commit Taron Vincent
- Five-star tight end commit Jeremy Ruckert
- Five-star running back commit Jaelen Gill
- Four-star offensive guard Max Wray
- Four-star linebacker Dallas Gant
WEST
- Four-star safety commit Jaiden Woodbey
- Four-star safety commit Josh Proctor
Several additional targets, including Pennsylvania five-star defensive end Micah Parsons and Fairfield five-star offensive guard Jackson Carman will also play for the East, while St. Louis four-star receiver Kamryn Babb and California four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu will suit up for the West.
