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.
NOT GIVING UP ON THE PEACH STATE
Before most of the staff set sail on the annual Buckeye Cruise for Cancer, Ohio State offered a scholarship on Wednesday evening to Atlanta Marist School three-star safety Kyle Hamilton.
Very excited to receive an offer from The Ohio State University! pic.twitter.com/IjYXRUCjdH
— Kyle Hamilton (@kham316) February 21, 2018
"It means a lot," Hamilton told Eleven Warriors. "Obviously, Ohio State is one of the biggest and best programs in the country. I am honored to be considered to play on one of the most dominant football teams around."
The 6-foot-3, 188-pound Hamilton is considered the 73rd-best safety and No. 1,079 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded just 30 tackles and four interceptions to lead the War Eagles to the state championship game last season. More than two dozen offers from programs such as Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt would show he's in line for a serious ratings bump, though.
All that said, Hamilton was surprised by the offer from the Buckeyes, considering the fact that he'd only spoken with defensive assistant Alex Grinch for the first time earlier this week. He can't wait to visit campus sometime in the near future and build a strong relationship with the staff, though.
"I think the winning mentality stands out," Hamilton said. "Just all of the big games they play and the championships they have would make anyone happy to play there."
APPRECIATE THE HONESTY
While we often discuss top school lists in The Hurry Up, it's important to keep in mind that they are not created equal. Some prospects list only those they're truly interested in, while others may still be open to the idea of playing for several different schools — that's why they range from anywhere to a Top 2 or 3 to as many as 15 or 20.
Very rarely, though, does a prospect openly discuss how unlikely he is to end up at one of the schools he listed. But that was exactly the case for Stone Mountain, Georgia, Stephenson wide receiver Deshon Stoudemire, who included Ohio State in his Top 9 on Wednesday evening alongside Auburn, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.
TOP 9 pic.twitter.com/81nfUrpMpK
— OchoDaShow (@D1deshon) February 22, 2018
"I love the school and I was very excited to see them interested in me," Stoudemire told Eleven Warriors. "The football team there is great. I love watching Ohio State play, but I wish it was closer."
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Stoudemire is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but hauled in a team-leading 19 catches for 340 yards and four touchdowns to help the Jaguars to the state playoffs last season. The Buckeyes were among the first programs on his list to offer him a scholarship, doing so just a few days ahead of Christmas.
Stoudemire still hopes to make his first trip to Columbus this spring or fall, but hasn't had much contact in the months since the offer and admitted the distance doesn't work in the Buckeyes' favor.
"I would go there if it comes down to it, but I would rather stay a little closer to home," he said.
CONSIDER THE FLAG PLANTED
While Detroit Cass Tech gets most of the publicity as Michigan's powerhouse program, former Technicians head coach Jermain Crowell assembled quite the roster about 30 minutes west in Belleville.
The Tigers' roster is highlighted by five-star offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs and Michigan State four-star cornerback commit Julian Barnett, but underclassmen like defensive ends Damon Payne and Jalen Hunt; defensive tackle Jalen Bell; linebacker Marvin Ham and cornerback Andre Seldon Jr. are sure to make noise on the national recruiting scene sooner rather than later.
All six players participated in the Under Armour All-America Camp Series near Cleveland on Sunday and followed that up with a trip to Columbus for an unofficial visit that evening.
"It was a great experience," Seldon told Eleven Warriors. "We didn't see much because we arrived late, but we checked out some of the facilities — which were top-notch — and we just chilled and played basketball for a minute."
The 5-foot-9, 140-pound Seldon — like most prospects from the Class of 2020 — is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but holds early offers from Central Michigan, Kentucky and Toledo. He was named the most valuable cornerback at Sunday's event, while Bell and Payne took home the same honor for their respective positions.
Seldon plans to return to campus again soon in order to build a strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson, and hopes that leads to an offer from the Buckeyes.
"Ohio State has been a long-time favorite college of mine," he said. "It'd be a dream offer for me. [It] would be hard for me not to commit."
