The Hurry Up: Ohio State and Five-Star Defensive End Micah Parsons "All Good" While Florida Offensive Tackle Michael Tarquin Sets Second Visit in Three Weeks

By Andrew Lind on September 20, 2017 at 6:40 pm
Kirk Herbstreit and Micah Parsons
Kirk Herbstreit and Micah Parsons
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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.

SMOOTHING THINGS OVER?

We've detailed at length the social-media firestorm that followed Micah Parsons' tweet advocating for a change at the quarterback position following Ohio State's 31-16 loss to Oklahoma more than a week ago. And there's one word you can use to describe the current relationship between the Buckeyes' coaching staff and the five-star defensive end as a result — complicated.

“I shouldn’t have said it, but everybody has their beliefs and opinions,” Parsons told Land of 10's Tyler Donohue at his U.S. Army All-American Bowl jersey presentation on Tuesday. “People can take it good or bad.”

Once considered a certainty to land in Ohio State's Supreme '18 recruiting class following his decommitment from Penn State in April, it seems as if the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Parsons is leaning toward re-upping with the Nittany Lions when the time comes to make a decision this winter. There's been plenty of speculation surrounding the status of his offer from the Buckeyes, too.

“We all good,” Parsons said, noting how Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer sent him a text message in the days following to clear the air.

Parsons' father, Terrence, reportedly didn't paint the same picture, though. He indicated to Donohue that communications between the staff and his son has become limited.

Nevertheless, Ohio State remains one of Parsons' Top 4 schools alongside Georgia, Nebraska and Penn State. He's set an official visit to Lincoln on Oct. 6, with any others up in the air because Harrisburg plays most of its games on Saturday.

Parsons has hinted at a return to Columbus for the Oct. 28 game against Penn State, as well, so it'll be very telling if he returns whether or not things are smoothed over by that time. As I recently mentioned, though, I anticipate he recommits to Nittany Lions when it's all said and done.

IN THE SAME BOAT

Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman, meanwhile, picked up where Parsons left off. His thoughts on the quarterback situation developed into a full-blown, back-and-forth feud with former Ohio State signal caller and current ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. 

The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Carman also received his Army All-American Bowl jersey during a ceremony at his high school on Wednesday morning, at which time he was naturally asked about the criticism he's taken in the days since he shared his opinion.

"Not only does an athlete have a responsibility to speak up on things like that but people with fame in general have an obligation to speak up," Carman told USA TODAY Sports. "If people don’t voice their opinions, there is never going to be reform in the game or evolution in the game."

Like Parsons, there's been plenty of speculation about whether or not Ohio State moves on from Carman altogether. But he maintains the Buckeyes are in his Top 3 alongside Clemson and USC — which is where I believe he lands this December. 

"It’s been a tough choice so far," he said. "And it will probably still be tough choice because there are so many great things about all these colleges and at the end, you can only choose one."

BACK SO SOON?

Ocala, Florida, Belleview four-star offensive tackle Michael Tarquin told Eleven Warriors on Tuesday night he'll return to campus for this Saturday's game against UNLV. It will be his second visit in three weeks, as he also attended Ohio State's 31-16 loss to Oklahoma earlier this month.

The Buckeyes offered the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Tarquin — who is considered the 19th-best offensive tackle and No. 153 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — a scholarship during an unofficial visit in May. He's become especially close to offensive line coach Greg Studrawa in the months since.

“Our relationship is really good,” Tarquin said. “I love Ohio State.”

Tarquin's visit with his mother, father and sister for the aforementioned game against the Sooners coincided with Hurricane Irma hitting Florida, so their stay was extended until Tuesday. Everything back home was in perfect order when they returned home, though.

At this time, I don't anticipate Tarquin will commit to Ohio State this weekend. After all, he said he wanted to see schools like Clemson, Miami and Michigan again before he made a decision this winter or next spring. But the Buckeyes certainly sit in a great spot early on.

Ohio State already holds a commitment from West Virginia four-star offensive tackle Doug Nester, and the position will always be one of great need. But players like Michigan five-star Devontae Dobbs, Minnesota four-star Quinn Carroll and West Virginia four-star Darnell Wright also extremely interested in the Buckeyes, I doubt the staff pushes for his pledge this soon either.

CHANTZ THE SACKER

Ohio State welcomed a pair of teammates from Plantation, Florida, Oakleaf High for Saturday's game against Army in the form of four-star defensive end Chantz Williams and four-star offensive tackle Jalen Rivers. It was their first time on campus.

"It was a great experience," Williams told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-4, 212-pound Williams is considered the sixth-best weak-side defensive end and No. 63 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he's recorded 42 tackles, six sacks, five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery in his two-year varsity career with the Knights thus far. Only a sophomore, he already holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Florida Sate, Georgia, Louisville, Miami, Tennessee and South Florida.

Williams and Rivers stayed on campus through Sunday, at which time running backs coach Tony Alford and defensive line coach Larry Johnson gave them a tour of campus and showed them around the facility. They plan to return for a one-day camp next June.

"I think they just want to see what I can really do," Williams said. "That's how I'll land an offer."

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