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.
BOOM WATCH
With dozen of elite prospects set to be on campus for the game against Penn State, it goes without saying this is the biggest recruiting weekend of the season for Ohio State. But with most expected visitors either committed or months — maybe even years — from a decision, none may be more important than St. Louis Christian Brothers College four-star wide receiver Kamryn Babb.
The Buckeyes have been considered the favorite the land Babb for most, if not all of the current recruiting cycle, and its seemingly only been a matter of waiting for the right opportunity for him to make the call. He’s been to campus several times over the last year, and most believed it would happen during Friday Night Lights in July. Babb was unable to attend because of a personal family matter, so this weekend has been circled on the calendar since.
Unfortunately, Babb suffered a torn ACL in practice just before the season. He’d hoped to take several official visits this fall, with Alabama, LSU, Michigan, UCLA and USC among his potential suitors.
But here we are on the eve of the only visit he’s scheduled so far. If Ohio State is truly where he wants to be, I anticipate he doesn’t leave Columbus without first giving his pledge to the Buckeyes.
Another name to pay attention to is Scottsdale, Arizona, four-star quarterback Jack Miller III. Though he’s only a sophomore, his relationship with head coach Urban Meyer goes back several years thanks to the Buckeyes staying at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort during their last two trips to the Fiesta Bowl.
Miller is without a doubt the top quarterback in the country for his class, and he has several broken records as a freshman to back that up. Any doubts about accepting his comment this early in the process (a la Danny Clark) would be for naught.
Miller has only been on campus once before for a one-day camp where he impressed the coaches and got a feel for them, the facilities, and campus. He’ll return this weekend with his former offensive coordinator, at which time I expect him to also commit to Ohio State.
My only reservation is that his father will not join him on the trip as he recovers from a recent surgery. If this weekend passes, it may very well happen on their next visit.
There’s always a chance for a surprise commitment or two, with Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harrison and Lexington four-star linebacker Cade Stover likely to pull the trigger anytime they are on campus.
FIRST IMPRESSION WILL BE HUGE
Ohio State will welcome Powder Springs, Georgia, Hillgrove four-star safety Jaylen McCollough to campus for the first time this weekend.
Ohio State this weekend
— Jaylen McCollough (@Jay_Mccollough2) October 27, 2017
"I am excited," McCollough told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-1,190-pound McCollough is considered the third-best safety and No. 35 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee and USC.
Assistant coordinator watched McCollough during the spring evaluation period in May, at which time he extended an offer. And given the Buckeyes' knack for sending defensive backs to the next level, there's no reason to think they won't be in the thick of things through the very end.
MIGHT AS WELL ADD HIM TO THE LIST OF OFFERS
As first reported by Rivals' Marc Givler, Chesapeake, Virginia, Oscar Smith four-star cornerback Cam'Ron Kelly will also make his first trip to campus on Saturday.
2019 #Rivals250 DB Cam'Ron Kelly visiting #OhioState this weekend, big-time early offer list, #Buckeyes could join it.
— Marc Givler (@MarcGivlerBG) October 27, 2017
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Kelly is considered the 10th-best cornerback and No. 128 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 35 tackles, 13 pass break ups, eight interceptions and one forced fumble for the Tigers last season. He holds nearly three dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, among others.
The only school which seemingly hasn't yet offered? Ohio State, though I anticipate that happens this weekend. And given the Buckeyes' recent push in the commonwealth, they'll have as good of chance as any program to eventually land his pledge.
ALREADY WEEK 10?
Here we are.
It's the last weekend of the regular season for several Ohio State commits, including running back Jaelen Gill, linebacker Dallas Gant, wide receiver L'Christian "Blue" Smith, tight end Jeremy Ruckert and cornerback Marcus Hooker. Will it be the final game of their respective high school careers, too? Here's to hoping they each make the playoffs.
A full list of games:
| name | pos | high school | opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| EMORY JONES | QB | FRANKLIN (GA) HEARD COUNTY | @ LAMAR COUNTY (GA) |
| JAELEN GILL | RB | WESTERVILLE (OH) SOUTH | OLENTANGY ORANGE (OH) |
| BRIAN SNEAD | RB | SEFFNER (FL) ARMWOOD | HILLSBOROUGH (FL) |
| MASTER TEAGUE | RB | MURFREESBORO (TN) BLACKMAN | @ RIVERDALE (TN); OUT FOR SEASON |
| JEREMY RUCKERT | TE | LINDENHURST (NY) | WARD MELVILLE (NY) |
| L'CHRISTIAN "BLUE" SMITH | WR | HUBER HEIGHTS (OH) WAYNE | @ TROTWOOD-MADISON (OH) |
| MATTHEW JONES | OG | BROOKLYN (NY) ERASMUS HALL | @ SOUTH SHORE (NY) |
| MAX WRAY | OT | FRANKLIN (TN) | @ DICKSON COUNTY (TN); WILL NOT PLAY |
| BRENTON COX | DE | STOCKBRIDGE (GA) | @ JONES COUNTY (GA) |
| ANTWUAN JACKSON | DT | BRENHAM (TX) BLINN COLLEGE | NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M (OK) |
| TARON VINCENT | DT | BRADENTON (FL) IMG ACADEMY | OPEN |
| TERADJA MITCHELL | ILB | VIRGINIA BEACH (VA) BISHOP SULLIVAN | CHESHIRE ACADEMY (CT) |
| K'VAUGHAN POPE | ILB | DINWIDDIE (VA) | @ HOPEWELL (VA) |
| DALLAS GANT | OLB | TOLEDO (OH) ST. JOHN'S JESUIT | TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC (OH) |
| SEVYN BANKS | CB | ORLANDO (FL) JONES | @ TAVARES (FL) |
| MARCUS HOOKER | CB | NEW CASTLE (PA) | @ BLACKHAWK |
| JOSH PROCTOR | S | OWASSO (OK) | MOORE (OK) |
| JAIDEN WOODBEY | S | BELLFLOWER (CA) ST. JOHN BOSCO | SERVITE (CA) |
| name | pos | high school | opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOUG NESTER | OT | HUNTINGTON (WV) SPRING VALLEY | CABELL MIDLAND (WV) |
I'll be at Westerville South's game this evening to watch Gill go head-to-head with the above-mentioned Harrison. Should be a good one in what very well may be Gill's final game at the high school level.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter for updates throughout the game. And, as always, stay tuned to Eleven Warriors on Sunday morning for the Supreme '18 Tracker, which will recap the weekend's events.
