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.
PEACHES STILL PRIMED FOR PICKING
Holding commitments from quarterback Emory Jones and defensive end Brenton Cox, it appeared this summer Ohio State was making serious in-roads in the state of Georgia. And though neither ended up signing with the Buckeyes last week, it won't stop the staff from recruiting the Peach State moving forward.
In fact, their most recent offer went out on Friday night to Lithonia outside linebacker Tra Wilkins.
Blessed to receive my 5th offer from Ohio State!! pic.twitter.com/81JI3z9jOi
— Tra Wilkins (@7solidtra) December 23, 2017
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Wilkins is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but he's quickly becoming one of the most coveted prospects in the Class of 2019. His recruitment is really starting to pick up, too, as he's picked up offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in the last two weeks alone.
Wilkins recorded 75 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns for the Bulldogs this fall.
STILL UP IN THE AIR
Late last week, I placed my 247Sports Crystal Ball predicition in favor of Ohio State for New Jersey four-star defensive end Jayson Oweh.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Oweh has been trending toward the Nittany Lions for a few months, but sources close to the program told Eleven Warriors things have swung back in favor of the Buckeyes following an in-home visit from Meyer, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Why?
It appears Oweh was heavily influenced by the retirement rumors surrounding Johnson, which the coach emphatically shot down on Friday night. He even admitted earlier this week several schools were using that as ammunition against Ohio State.
“A lot of people were saying coach Johnson was going to leave, so you have to keep that in perspective,” Oweh said. “I talked to him about it a lot. He reassured me that he is not leaving. That's really important. I didn't think he was [leaving] at first, but then a lot of people started telling me he was old.”
Oweh tossed around the idea of faxing in his National Letter of Intent during the Early Signing Period and then announce his college decision during the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 4, but sources close to him told Eleven Warriors that did not happen. I still remain confident Ohio State will land him and fellow four-star defensive end Tyreke Smith one week from Thursday.
Additionally, Oweh conducted an extensive interview with Chat Sports on Saturday. While he doesn't admit to leaning one way or the other, he talks about the factors that will go into his decision, including early playing time, comfort with the staff and player development — all of which favor the Buckeyes.
Check it out below:
FUTURE TEAMMATES?
Though Ohio State quarterback signee Matthew Baldwin went down with a knee injury in the first series of the Texas state championship game, 2019 four-star quarterback target Grant Tisdale shined as he led Allen to a 35-33 win over Lake Travis on Saturday afternoon. It marked the Eagles' fifth state title.
Cool moment at the end of the game between Grant Tisdale and Matthew Baldwin. pic.twitter.com/u77pu9q6Io
— Mike Roach (@MikeRoach247) December 24, 2017
Tisdale completed seven passes for only 30 yards, but made an impact with his legs, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown. 2019 four-star wide receiver target Theo Wease Jr. accounted for 27 of those yards.
Lake Travis four-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, a Dublin native, caught eight passes for 99 in the loss. He's also among the staff's top targets, and I wouldn't be surprised to see all three join Baldwin in Columbus in 2019.
