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.
LEADER IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Buford, Georgia, four-star center Harry Miller was one of just two prospects on campus for an official visit this weekend for Saturday’s Spring Game —with Texas four-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson being the other. He made the trip with his parents and a family friend, and couldn’t stop raving about the experience.
Great time at Ohio State this weekend!! @OhioStateFB @OSUCoachMeyer pic.twitter.com/8expgjbdAr
— Harry Miller (@harrymiller76) April 15, 2018
“It was very good,” Miller told Eleven Warriors. “We got to see a lot of stuff and talk with a lot of people. It was a really good visit.”
This marked the third time on campus for the 6-foot-4 and 310-pound Miller, who also attended the Buckeyes’ loss to Oklahoma last fall and had an individualized weekend visit back in mid-January.
“We’ve gotten really close with a lot of the coaches. It was really just a good time to hang out with them over the weekend.” Miller said, noting he spent a considerable amount of time and had dinner with head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator/area recruiter Ryan Day, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and director of player personnel Mark Pantoni. “They tell me that I’m a very high priority and they want me to come in and help them compete for another national championship."
Miller — who recently narrowed down his list of nearly 30 scholarship offers to Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Stanford — plans to major in mechanical engineering in college, so it should go without saying that academics will play a significant role in his eventual decision. That’s why the staff has put a lot of emphasis on what the program and the university as a whole can do for him off the field.
“Besides the high-caliber football [they put on the field], we talked a lot with the Dean of Engineering, doctors, professors and people involved in academics,” Miller said. “That’s really the biggest thing, to weigh the balance of football and academics.”
Miller has been to Athens, Palo Alto and South Bend this spring — and also has a trip to Clemson scheduled for next month — with the hope of making a decision on his future before he goes on a mission trip to Nicaragua this summer. And though there’s the obvious home-state pull from the Bulldogs looming large, it’s actually the Cardinal who are the Buckeyes’ biggest competition.
“I think Ohio State and Stanford are my two favorite right now,” Miller said. “It’s really just weighing the doorways that each university opens. At Stanford, the degree is very prestigious and will open lots of doors. We’ve also talked with coach Meyer about the connections Ohio State has, not only with the football program, but with the doctors, professors and CEOs I’ve talked with already. [It] proves to be very promising and exciting.”
There’s some concern that Miller’s interest in Stanford could delay his decision timeline, as their program usually lags behind in commitments thanks to the university’s strict admissions process. But I don’t think the staff would have brought him to campus on an official visit this weekend if he wasn’t close to an announcement — after all, Meyer has made it very clear the Buckeyes are not going to host prospects in an official capacity if they aren’t planning to commit this spring or early summer.
That said, Miller and his family have a very strong relationship with the Ohio State staff. And even though Stanford has the better academics, I believe the combination of what the Buckeyes can do for him on and off the field will ultimately swing things in their favor.
“I don’t want to just make a decision for a couple Saturdays now,” Miller said. “I want to make a decision that will not only benefit me, but will also help with the ministry I’m involved with.”
REASSESSING THE SITUATION
Ocala, Florida, Vanguard four-star wide receiver Leonard Manuel III included Ohio State in his Top 11 on Tuesday night alongside Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas.
Blessed 11 #Notinorder pic.twitter.com/kQZC0nP8pD
— DANGER (@Begreatliltone2) April 17, 2018
“I’m really familiar with Ohio State. We’ve been talking since my freshman year,” Manuel told Eleven Warriors. “I know they haven’t offered yet, but me and coach [Zach] Smith have built a strong relationship. We’re really close. We used to just talk about football, but now it’s stuff like school, my family and how I’m living. We kind of just kick it like we’ve been knowing each other for a long time.”
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Manuel is considered the second-best wide receiver and No. 13 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he hauled in 40 catches for 678 yards and nine touchdowns to lead the Knights to the state quarterfinals last season — where they fell to Armwood and four-star running back signee Brian Snead. He’d actually been committed to the Hurricanes since November, but backed off that pledge earlier in the day.
“Miami is a top school for me, but I needed to open things up, weigh my options out and see other schools,” Manuel said.
Smith made it clear Manuel has an offer waiting for him, but he has to visit campus for the first time in order to show the staff he’s serious about his interest in the Buckeyes. He’s already in the process of planning a trip to Columbus.
“I just want to get the feeling of seeing myself play there,” Manuel said. “I think I can go there and be a great receiver. I think I can be a big asset to their offense. I’m a go-get-it guy. They throw a lot of go balls, and just the way they run their offense, I think I can play in it.”
AGGIE ALL THE WAY?
Ohio State offered a scholarship on Tuesday night to Southlake, Texas, Carroll four-star cornerback R.J. Mickens.
Extremely blessed and honored to have receive an offer from The Ohio State University #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/AgtmNo9d91
— Rj Mickens (@RjMickens10) April 18, 2018
“It’s a huge offer, since they’re famous for their defensive back production,” Mickens told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Mickens is considered the fourth-best cornerback and No. 55 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he recorded 99 tackles, 13 pass break ups, four forced fumbles, three tackles for a loss, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a pick-six to lead the Dragons to the state quarterfinals last season. He holds more than two dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Texas A&M and UCLA.
The Buckeyes have been keeping tabs on Mickens — the son of former NFL cornerback Ray Mickens — for quite some time. He’d been in contact with former assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs before he departed for the Tennessee Titans, but the aforementioned Smith and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Alex Grinch have picked up right where he left off and were the ones who extended the offer on Tuesday evening.
"They see me just as a player who makes plays," Mickens said, noting he hopes to get to campus for the first time soon.
SOMETIMES, YOU JUST KNOW
Baltimore St. Frances Academy four-star linebacker Shane Lee was supposed to be among dozens of prospects at Ohio State’s Spring Game last weekend, but called off the visit in favor of his first trip to Alabama.
On Tuesday night — just two days after he returned home from Tuscaloosa — he pledged his services to the Crimson Tide.
— Shane (@leeboy1212) April 18, 2018
“Coach [Nick] Saban talked about hard work and really developing you as a person and a football player,” Lee told 247Sports. “Just the fact that winning is an expectation, not a goal. It’s that kind of environment. You’re either going to get better or you’re not going to be there anymore. I just liked that aspect of it. It’s exciting. I have big shoes to fill because of the success of the program and the success of coach Saban. It’s something I’ve analyzed and evaluated, and something I will be ready for as time goes on. It’s really exciting.”
The 6-foot, 253-pound Lee is considered the third-best inside linebacker and No. 61 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. He holds offers from more than a dozen programs, including Clemson, Florida State, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State.
The Buckeyes offered Lee a scholarship last February, and he built a strong relationship with linebackers coach Bill Davis and defensive line coach/area recruiter Larry Johnson in the meantime. He made several trips to campus, as well, including Friday Night Lights last summer and Junior Day a few months back.
The Nittany Lions were widely expected to land Lee’s pledge, but his quick decision speaks to how fickle things are on the recruiting trail.
