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.
CLOSING TIME
Ohio State is set to welcome North Stafford, Virginia, four-star running back Devyn Ford to campus on Thursday for the first of two visits this month. He’ll also be in Columbus in an official capacity April 26-28.
“[I’m looking forward to seeing] more of the campus and just sitting down with the coaches and getting some couch talk in,” Ford told Eleven Warriors.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Ford is considered the sixth-best running back and No. 73 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he rushed for 2,056 yards and 32 touchdowns for the Wolverines and was named the Commonwealth District and Virginia High School League 5A Region D Offensive Player of the Year last season. He recently narrowed down his 30 scholarship offers to six, listing Ohio State alongside Clemson, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State and Virginia Tech back in early February.
“How the program prepares players for the life after football with Real Life Wednesdays [stands out],” Ford said. “Also, just the fan base.”
Ford has been to campus numerous times over the last two years — including Friday Night Lights last July and the Buckeyes’ 39-38 win over the Nittany Lions in October — which has allowed him to grow extremely close to head coach Urban Meyer and running backs coach Tony Alford. And though Ohio State recently landed a commitment from Indiana four-star running back Sampson James, Ford isn’t afraid of the competition that he may find in Columbus.
“It really doesn’t matter because you have to compete everywhere you go and in all aspects of life,” he said. “But, you know, with another running back coming in, you could also help each other out and learn from one another and grow.”
Ford is closing in on his own decision, as well. He’ll take official visits to Blacksburg April 13-15 and State College on April 20-22, and plans to make his college announcement on May 18 as a way to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday.
“It’ll just be based off literally everything,” Ford said. “From opportunities to achieving a natty [national title] all the way to which school and program is going to better me as a person and prepare me with all the tools I need to take on the real world after football is said and done.”
The Hokies are considered the favorite in Ford’s recruitment right now, but the Buckeyes certainly have a chance to swing things in their favor over the next month.
IN THE RUNNING
As we first reported last month, Nashville Christ Presbyterian Academy four-star linebacker Kane Patterson was on campus for unofficial visit on Friday. He was joined on the trip from Tennessee by his parents and three younger brothers.
“I loved it,” Patterson told Eleven Warriors. “I got to see everything.”
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Patterson is considered the 13rd-best outside linebacker and No. 182 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 64 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a blocked field goal to lead the Lions to the state semifinals last season. He holds more than two dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Duke, LSU, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
This marked the second time on campus for Patterson, as he also attended the Buckeyes’ 31-16 loss to the Sooners in September. He’s built a strong relationship with Meyer, Alford and linebackers coach Bill Davis in the months since, and that led to an offer in January.
On Friday, Patterson watched practice, toured campus and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and checked out Ohio Stadium. He also had some one-on-one time with Meyer and Davis.
“Just watching how coach Davis coaches and my meetings with him were very impressive,” Patterson said.
All that said, Patterson isn’t close to making a decision on his future. He’s in the midst of a spring tour that includes trips to 11 different schools and hopes to narrow down his list of offers to five or so shortly thereafter.
One thing is for certain, though: the Buckeyes will make the cut.
“Ohio State stands very high for me,” Patterson said, noting he plans to take an unofficial visit this summer and an official visit in the fall.
BACK TO THE WELL
Indiana three-star wide receiver Craig Young dropped by Ohio State’s practice on Wednesday morning, after which I spotted him hanging out with Meyer, director of player personnel Mark Pantoni, wide receivers coach Zach Smith and wideout Austin Mack — a fellow Fort Wayne native.
Columbus Ohio
— YoungStuna (CY) (@craig_young00) April 4, 2018
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Young is considered the 93rd-best wide receiver and No. 691 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 29 catches for 367 yards and four touchdowns to help the Generals to the sectional round of the state playoffs last season. In addition to the Buckeyes, he also holds offers from Central Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Purdue, Toledo and Wisconsin.
This marked Young’s second tip to campus, as he also attended Friday Night Lights last July, but first since Ohio State offered him a scholarship in late January. I hope to catch up with him in the coming days.
That said, the Buckeyes are only planning to take four or five wide receivers this cycle. And with names like Indiana four-star David Bell; Texas four-stars Jalen “Boobie” Curry and Garrett Wilson; St. Louis four-stars Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams; and Tennessee four-stars Trey Knox and Lance Wilhoite all among the staff's top priorities, it would appear a lot has to happen for Young to find his way into the class.
