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.
LAYING THE CARDS ON THE TABLE
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and defensive line coach Larry Johnson were in Pocatello, Idaho, on Tuesday afternoon to make their final pitch to Highland four-star defensive tackle Tommy Togiai.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound Togiai — who is considered the ninth-best defensive tackle and No. 126 prospect overall in the Class of 2018 — is set to choose among Ohio State, Utah and Washington on Dec. 20.
Huskies head coach Chris Petersen and Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham have already used their in-home visits, which means the Buckeyes get the last shot to sway Togiai’s decision.
Awesome visit at Highland for Tommy Togiai from The Ohio State Head Football Coach Urban Meyer & Defensive Line Coach Larry Johnson pic.twitter.com/F9carVZVsL
— Brad Wallace (@wall7935) December 12, 2017
Meyer and Johnson spent the afternoon at Highland, where they met with head coach Gino Mariani and other faculty members. They then traveled to Togiai's home for dinner, which is where they are as of this reading.
I’ve long believed Ohio State to be Togiai’s destination, as distance doesn’t seem to be an issue and the chance to play for a coach of Johnson’s stature would be too hard to pass up. And if that weren’t enough, several 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions have been placed in favor of the Buckeyes in recent days, including one from recruiting analyst Andrew Gorringe, who is as connected as anyone out in the mountain region.
BEST OF THE BEST
Ohio State five-star defensive tackle commit Taron Vincent and four-star linebacker pledge Teradja Mitchell were named on Tuesday as two of five finalists for the USA TODAY Sports Defensive Player of the Year.
They were joined by Miami four-star defensive tackle commit Nesta Silvera and uncommitted four-star linebackers Solomon Tuliaupupu and Channing Tindall.
POLL: Who is the @amfam ALL-USA Football Defensive Player of the Year? https://t.co/tc2C00TYJf pic.twitter.com/fnNSNL1UNM
— USA TODAY HSS (@usatodayhss) December 12, 2017
The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Vincent finished his senior year at IMG Academy with 53 tackles, 13 quarterback hurries and four sacks. The Ascenders finished undefeated for the third-consecutive season.
The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Mitchell, meanwhile, recorded more than 100 tackles at Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan. The Crusaders finished with a 6-5 record, but were widely considered the top-ranked program in the state because of it's difficult national schedule.
On the other side of the ball, Fairfield five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman — the Buckeyes' top remaining in-state target — was named a finalists for the newspaper's offensive player of the year. He's joined by Clemson five-star quarterback commit Trevor Lawrence, Georgia five-star running back pledge Zamir White, USC five-star quarterback commit J.T. Daniels and uncommitted five-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell and cornerback Shaun Wade were the offensive and defensive players of the year last season, marking the first time since USC in 2012 that one school swept the awards. It could happen for the second-consecutive year if Carman chooses the Buckeyes over the Trojans and Tigers next week.
WILL THEY KEEP THE CONNECTION GOING?
Ohio State landed a commitment late last week from Austin, Texas, Lake Travis three-star quarterback Matthew Baldwin, who is arguably the most underrated signal caller in the country, seeing as he's thrown for more than 3,500 yards and 43 touchdowns this season.
On Tuesday, the Buckeyes offered the recipient of most of those passes, four-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Such a blessing to receive my 20th offer from THE Ohio State University!#Zone6 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/7WiNV4aNQN
— Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) December 12, 2017
“It's huge,” Wilson told Eleven Warriors. “I always went and saw some of the best players play there. I think I can fit that mold. I also have lots of forever friends up there that I'd be able to see more often. [It's a] big offer for me.”
The 6-foot, 178-pound Wilson is considered the 20th-best wideout and No. 114 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as hauled in 2,282 yards and 37 touchdowns receiving in his two-year varsity career with the Cavaliers. He holds 20 offers from programs such as Arkansas, Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and Wisconsin, and is sure to add several more in the coming months.
Wilson moved to Texas in sixth grade, but spent several Saturdays of his childhood in Ohio Stadium cheering on the Buckeyes.
“I couldn't tell you how many games [I've been to], but a lot during the Terrelle Pryor, DeVier Posey time,” Wilson said. “Those fans were the best in the country, for sure. The atmosphere everytime was awesome, and I can't wait to see it again.”
It appears a trip back to Columbus is going to have to wait a few more weeks, though, as Baldwin and Wilson are set to play Katy in the state semifinals at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday afternoon. With a win, Lake Travis will play for its second-straight state title and seventh in the last 11 years.
KEEP ME IN MIND
Not only did Ohio State welcome several commits and top targets to campus for official visits this past weekend, the Buckeyes also hosted a number of underclassmen like Youngstown Cardinal Mooney linebacker Luke Fulton.
Great visit at THE hio State University today! Thanks to @OSUCoachMeyer @CoachBillDavis @markpantoni pic.twitter.com/TJ8tEToqA1
— Luke Fulton (@LukeFulton_11) December 10, 2017
“The visit was great,” Fulton told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Fulton is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but is sure to be among the most coveted in-state prospects in next year's recruiting class after he recorded 125 tackles and eight forced fumbles for the Cardinals this season. He already holds offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky and Toledo, and programs like Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have shown interest or invited him to campus.
While in Columbus, Fulton watched the Buckeyes practice, toured the facilities and met with several coaches. Among them, Meyer and linebackers coach Billy Davis.
“They told me that they are really looking forward to recruiting me and developing a relationship with me,” he said.
Fulton understands Ohio State doesn't typically offer in-state prospects this early in the process, and he had a lengthy discussion with the staff about it on Sunday. If and when it does come, though, he'd be ecstatic.
“Being from Youngstown, everyone I know is an Ohio State fan,” Fulton said. “It'd be one of my top schools in the country, and would be a cool experience considering I grew up always a fan.”
