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.
DOUBLE DUTY
With Ohio State playing a night game at Rutgers this weekend, the staff was able to check in on several of its top targets for the Class of 2019. Among them, Metuchen, New Jersey, St. Joseph four-star offensive tackle John Olmstead, who received a visit from offensive line coach Greg Studrawa on Saturday afternoon.
The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Olmstead is considered the 16th-best offensive tackle and No. 141 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he locked down second-team all-region honors after helping the Falcons to the state championship game last season. They’re 4-0 so far this season, and Olmstead now holds more than two dozen offers from programs such as Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
Interestingly enough, he was invited to the game on Saturday night as a guest of the Scarlet Knights — and, well, you can imagine how that turned out for them.
The Buckeyes, meanwhile, already hold a commitment from four-star Doug Nester and remain in hot pursuit of other highly sought-after offensive tackles like Michael Tarquin, Quinn Carroll and Darnell Wright. It’s hard to figure how Olmstead fits into the staff’s plan at this point in time, but they certainly couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see him play while on the road.
Though we previously reported Blairstown four-star defensive end Jayson Oweh was hoping to attend the game, too, but he never heard back from Rutgers — the first school to offer him a scholarship — about credentials. I guess the Scarlet Knights know they have no chance.
LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP (FOR NOW)
Ohio State might take as many as three defensive tackles in the current recruiting cycle, but it’s never too early to look to the future. Among those with significant interest in the Buckeyes early in the process is Apopka, Florida, Wekiva four-star Tyler Davis.
“[Our relationship] has been very good,” Davis told Eleven Warriors. “We talk at least once a week.”
The 6-foot-2, 261-pound Davis is considered the 15th-best defensive tackle and No. 258 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds a dozen offers from programs such as Florida, Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina State, Oregon and UCF, but the constant contact with head coach Urban Meyer, running backs coach Tony Alford and defensive line coach Larry Johnson has made quite the impression.
“Their communication and how they develop people [stands out],” Davis said.
Davis plans to make his first trip to Columbus on Nov. 11, at which time Ohio State plays host to Michigan State.
I’D FIGHT MY SIBLINGS, TOO
Ohio State continues to recruit well in all corners of the country, and despite the distance, one prospect who hopes to land an offer from the Buckeyes in the near future is Salt Lake City East three-star defensive tackle Siaki Ika. He’s already quite familiar with the staff, too, as he attended a one-day camp in June.
“It was great. I loved it,” Ika told Eleven Warriors. “It was great to learn from great coaches and learn from top-tier athletes. It was fun to go up against different competition, too.”
The 6-foot-3, 360-pound Ika is considered the 27th-best defensive tackle and No. 440 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He committed to BYU more than a year ago, as his cousin is currently the running backs coach for the Cougars and the university’s mission aligns with his LDS faith.
However, Ika has since picked up offers from USC, Utah, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin, and he acknowledges he’s still open to other schools. That includes Ohio State, one of his favorite programs growing up.
“I remember always fighting with my brother over who got to play with them when we played NCAA [Football],” Ika said. “I’d say the production they’ve had into the NFL is a major factor [and] just always knowing that they have been a major powerhouse for a very long time [stands out].”
Ika has developed a very strong bond with the aforementioned Johnson and hopes to return to campus again soon. And while I don’t anticipate him changing his pledge, it’s still notable what kind of appeal Ohio State has nationally — even in states it doesn’t traditionally recruit.
