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.
WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING?
As first reported by 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, Cedar Hill, Texas, Trinity Christian three-star athlete Maurice Washington III will no longer take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.
VIP #Nebraska update on RB Maurice Washington, who I'm hearing has moved around his visit for this weekend. https://t.co/HatWPLueWi @mikejschaefer @michaelbruntz
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) January 25, 2018
The news, which has since been confirmed by Eleven Warriors, likely brings to an end Washington’s life-long dream of playing for the Buckeyes — though it’s mostly his own doing. Sources have indicated his academics remain a concern and he’s reluctant to play on the defensive side of the ball.
Former assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs was in the Lone Star State on Monday, which may have been his last recruiting trip on behalf of Ohio State. There, he pitched the idea of Washington playing cornerback, as the Buckeyes already signed three running backs and there may not be enough carries to go around in the future.
Washington seemingly balked at the idea, as both Arizona State and Nebraska want to feature him heavily on offense. That's why he'll instead be in Lincoln this weekend, and I imagine he'll make a decision between the Cornhuskers and Sun Devils shortly thereafter.
MAY HE FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
Ohio State offered a scholarship on Wednesday afternoon to Hyattsville, Maryland, DeMatha Catholic three-star safety Nick Cross.
Speechless!! Blessed to have received an offer from THE Ohio State University! #gobuckyes @DMCoachBrooks @DenocD @HamiltonESPN pic.twitter.com/KyFM4yVNkL
— Nick Cross (@Nick_Cross26) January 24, 2018
“It means a lot,” Cross told Eleven Warriors. “I can sense the prestige and tradition around the program and just the consistency of the product they put on the field.”
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Cross is considered the 25th-best safety and No. 375 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 92 tackles, one interception, one sack and one forced fumble for the Stags this season to be named first-team all-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. He holds offers from more than a dozen programs such as Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
If you haven't pieced it together yet, Cross is the former teammate of current defensive end Chase Young. And though they're now hours away from one another, the two talk about the Buckeyes regularly.
“He said he loves the brotherhood and just the demand of excellence all the time,” Cross said. “Now I have a former teammate who I can look up to who did the work and who is living his dream.”
Cross has never been to campus, but plans to make his first trip to Columbus soon. He's excited to meet with newly hired defensive assistant Alex Grinch, whom he's quickly grown fond of.
“He seems like a down to earth person,” Cross said. “He is honest and he seems like a great coach.”
LATEST BATCH OF RANKINGS
Earlier this week, 247Sports and Rivals unveiled their final rankings for the 2018 recruiting class. ESPN followed suit on Thursday morning, which helped Ohio State extend its lead over Georgia in the composite team rankings.
The final #ESPN300 rankings for the class of 2018 are out ... https://t.co/HI4fvLghez
— Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) January 25, 2018
The Buckeyes placed 17 players among the Top 300, which was tied with Texas for the most in the nation. The Bulldogs finished with 15, and quarterback commit Justin Fields — who was one of just 13 five-star prospects in the class, according to ESPN — took the top spot.
The new rankings are as follows:
- No. 19 – DT Taron Vincent
- No. 24 – LB Teradja Mitchell
- No. 30 – RB Jaelen Gill
- No. 31 – TE Jeremy Ruckert
- No. 37 – CB Tyreke Johnson
- No. 41 – OL Matthew Jones
- No. 52 – DT Tommy Togiai
- No. 55 – CB Sevyn Banks
- No. 58 – DE Tyreke Smith
- No. 84 – WR Kamryn Babb
- No. 88 – OT Max Wray
- No. 132 – DE Tyler Friday
- No. 170 – S Josh Proctor
- No. 180 – RB Brian Snead
- No. 201 – WR L'Christian “Blue” Smith
- No. 241 – LB Dallas Gant
- No. 291 – WR Cameron Brown
As mentioned, this batch of rankings increased Ohio State's lead over Georgia in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings to more than a full point. With both expected to take around three more prospects this cycle, the quality of commit will ultimately determine who will take home the crown.
OUT OF NOWHERE
Ohio State assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges approaches the walk-on process in the same manner as head coach Urban Meyer does the normal recruiting process: Find talented prospects who will contribute to the program's championship aspirations.
The difference, however, is that Hodges is tasked with finding underrated or unheralded prospects — typically those in-state — as opposed to chasing highly sought-after five-star athletes.
So far, he's landed commitments from seven preferred walk-ons, including Dublin Jerome athlete Robert Cope and linebacker Cade Kacherski; Big Walnut linebacker Abe Myers; Piqua linebacker Ben Schmiesing; Berlin Center Western Reserve linebacker Jack Cappabianca; Mason defensive tackle Zaid Hamdan; and Arizona wide receiver Luke Donovan. And earlier this week, he extended the same opportunity to Hamdan's former teammate, defensive tackle Garrison Glover.
Thankful and blessed to receive a preferred walk-on offer from Ohio State! #GoBucks! pic.twitter.com/0bHkLxGiFf
— Garrison Glover (@garrisongloverr) January 23, 2018
“I just feel grateful and excited to receive this offer,” Glover told Eleven Warriors. “It came by surprise, honestly. I had no idea I'd even be given this offer.”
The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Glover recorded 21 tackles this season to help the Comets to the second-round of the state playoffs. He believes his footwork and size are what stood out to Hodges on tape.
“I feel like I've showed a great display of agility on film, especially when it comes to my build,” Glover said. “There's plays of me where I'd come off the ball moving my feet well while getting through the lineman, pushing them out of the way easily and taking up a lot of space.”
Glover currently holds scholarship offers from Ashland, Kentucky Wesleyan and Urbana, while Bowling Green, Fordham and Kent State have also showed interest. And while he's more than thrilled with the opportunity presented by Ohio State, he admits he has some thinking to do.
“I have to factor in which school is the best fit,” Glover said.
