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.
WILL ALL THREE BE BUCKEYES?
Ohio State hosted a trio of underclassmen from Cincinnati Princeton last week, including defensive end Darrion Henry, linebacker Jaheim Thomas and cornerback Elijah Eberhardt. They were on their way back home from the Under Armour All-America Camp Series near Cleveland when they stopped by campus for a visit on Monday morning.
Enjoyed my visit today @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/PTQemLq1lQ
— TheReal14 (@ElijahEberhardt) February 19, 2018
"It went great," Eberhardt told Eleven Warriors. "We saw everything that Ohio State had in store for us. They showed us a great time."
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Eberhardt — like most prospects from the Class of 2020 — is not yet ranked nor does he hold any offers yet. But Buckeyes cornerback coach Taver Johnson was impressed with his sophomore season that included 25 tackles and a handful of pass break ups.
"He said that my film was outstanding and that the ball is in my court to perform this summer and that they are very interested," Eberhardt said. "It would mean so much [to land an offer] because I could stay close to home and get closer to my dream."
While on campus, Eberhardt and his teammates toured the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, donned uniforms for a photo shoot and watched the team participate in winter workouts.
"Watching them practice was great," he said. "Just seeing how hard they work and the intensity [was awesome]."
Eberhardt plans to return to campus for a spring practice and a one-day camp this summer.
A LASTING IMPRESSION
Newark, New Jersey, Central linebacker Mohammad Kamara was among the standouts at Ohio State's camp sessions last June.
"It was amazing. I had fun," he told Eleven Warriors. "What made it special to me was that there were more than 40 linebackers [in attendance], but I was chosen to go to the advance group to show my talents to the coaches."
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Kamara was extremely impressed with the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and plans to return for another visit this summer with hopes of landing a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.
"They're one of the elites," Kamara said. "It would be an honor."
Kamara is considered the 41st-best outside linebacker and No. 550 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 315 tackles and 14 sacks in his three-year varsity career with the Blue Devils. He holds offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Temple, but programs like Louisville, Minnesota, Penn State and Virginia Tech have also shown interest in recent months.
Kamara's older brother, Amara, played linebacker at Temple before he spent short stints with the NFL's Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers. His cousin, Kemoko Turay, was a defensive end at Rutgers and is widely expected to be picked on the second day of the upcoming NFL Draft.
PATIENCE PAYS OFF
Though National Signing Day was earlier this month, prospects actually have until April 1 to fax in their National Letter of Intent to the program of their choice. It doesn't happen often, though it's certainly understandable when a 17-year-old prospect has some trepidation about making a college decision.
Smaller schools are typically the beneficiaries in those situations, but that doesn't mean Ohio State isn't looking for ways to improve, too. In fact, Buckeyes assistant director of player personnel Eron Hodges offered a preferred walk-on spot on Friday afternoon to unsigned Cleveland St. Ignatius quarterback Daniel Alexander.
Extremely blessed to say I have received a PWO from The Ohio State University!! @EronHodges pic.twitter.com/d7QEYFt8WN
— Daniel Alexander (@dan_alexander17) February 23, 2018
"It honestly was surreal," Alexander told Eleven Warriors. "After I got off the phone with Coach Hodges, I took a deep breath and laughed. I’ve dreamed of playing big time football like this my whole life and now I have an opportunity to fulfill that dream. It really is tough to put it into words how special it feels."
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Alexander battled classmate Kyle Hall throughout high school, but was named the sole starter halfway through his senior season and racked up more than 1,500 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns while leading the Wildcats the Division I regional finals last fall. He holds an offer from Butler, but continues to assess his options at this time.
If he ultimately chooses to accept the opportunity with Ohio State, Alexander would join his teammate Jack Jamieson as one of more than a dozen walk-ons to the program this fall. The two-time team captain picked the Buckeyes over an offer from Ohio Dominican earlier this month.
