The Hurry Up: Four-Star Cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart Includes Ohio State Among Top Schools While Top-Rated Offensive Guard Devontae Dobbs is Trending Elsewhere

By Andrew Lind on September 26, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Devontae Dobbs
Devontae Dobbs
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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.

IN NO HURRY, IT SEEMS

Though Ohio State seems content with the possibility of pairing five-star Anthony Cook with four-star commit Sevyn Banks at the cornerback position, there’s one prospect that continues to hang around in case the former ends up choosing LSU or Texas next month.

That person is San Diego Helix four-star Isaac Taylor-Stuart, who included the Buckeyes in his Top 12 on Monday afternoon alongside Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, USC and Washington. 

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Taylor-Stuart is considered the fourth-best cornerback and No. 26 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he led St. Augustine with 13 pass break ups and three interceptions last season. He transferred to Helix in July.

The Trojans have long been considered the favorite to land Taylor-Stuart’s pledge, but he has acknowledged his desire to play alongside Ohio State safety commit Jaiden Woodbey in college. The two are good friends and have a relationship that dates back to Pop Warner.

But all that said, Taylor-Stuart has never been to Columbus, and it’s hard to conceive the idea of him choosing the Buckeyes until an official visits happens — and one hasn’t been scheduled yet. Even then, the staff would truly only go all-out for his pledge Cook picks the Longhorns or Tigers next month.

AN UNLIKELY FOE

Following his unofficial visit this weekend, a flood of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were placed in favor of Michigan State for Belleville, Michigan, five-star offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs.

The reason? No program is currently recruiting the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Dobbs harder than the Spartans.

It's a seemingly stark contrast from where Dobbs — the top-rated offensive tackle in the country and No. 8 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — sat this summer, as Ohio State was widely considered the favorite to land his pledge.

His relationship with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and assistant coordinator/area recruiter Kerry Coombs was second to none. But it's now the chance to play alongside close friends like four-star quarterback Dwan Mathis (who committed to Michigan State this weekend) and the likelihood of early playing time that has things trending toward the Spartans right now.

The good thing for Ohio State, though, is that Dobbs isn't expected — and has actually been advised by those close to him — to hold off on making a decision on his future until his senior season. He's been on campus several times, most recently for the Buckeyes' 31-16 loss to Oklahoma earlier this month, and it's anticipated he'll return again for the Oct. 28 game against Penn State.

Each visit offers a chance for the staff to build upon their relationship with Dobbs, which will be key for Ohio State to turn things back in a positive direction.

The part that hurts their pursuit is the fact that the staff already holds a commitment from West Virginia four-star Doug Nester and is undoubtedly among the top schools for a host of other top-rated junior offensive tackles, inlcuding four-stars Michael Tarquin, Darnell Wright and Quinn Carroll. But then again, Dobbs' decision to hold off on a commitment certainly works in their favor.

FORCING THEIR HAND

Earlier this year, Alabama offered a scholarship to Dayton Dunbar three-star running back Tavion Thomas, which essentially forced Ohio State to follow suit just a short while later. 

Never mind what transpired thereafter — with the Buckeyes landing a commitment from Master Teague III and Thomas pledging his services to Oklahoma instead — the Crimson Tide identified and took advantage of the fact that the staff is more likely to hold off on offering an in-state prospect until later in the process. In turn, Ohio State has to pull the trigger or risk falling behind in the race to land said prospect.

Such may eventually be the case for Columbus Northland running back John Branham Jr., whom Alabama reached out to this weekend. 

“They said they have been following me since the summer,” Branham told Eleven Warriors. “They want to come meet me and asked for my transcripts. They said I'm high on their board and they only go after the top-tier in the country. All that kind of talk.”

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Branham is still among the many prospects from the Class of 2019 that haven't been ranked by any major recruiting sites, but he holds offers from Cincinnati, Kent State, Ohio, Pittsburgh and Toledo, nonetheless. Several big-time programs have reached out following his 284-yard, three-touchdown performance in a recent win. 

Less than 15 minutes after Alabama called Branham, Ohio State running back coach Tony Alford did the same. 

“[He] told me he is recruiting me hard [and] feels like I'm one of the best,” Branham said. “Wants me at more games and practices. And he called my parents, also.”

Branham attended Friday Night Lights and the aforementioned loss to Oklahoma, so he’s quite familiar with Alford and offensive coordinator Wilson. But he’s isn't like most kids, and understands the roller-coaster ride that is the recruiting process — “All it takes is another running back in Florida to have a breakout year, then they will run there.”

That said, Branham is holding out hope that his play on the field speaks for itself and eventually nets him an offer from his favorite program.

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