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.
NO RUSH
With official visits to Ohio State and Texas now in the rearview mirror, Austin Lake Travis four-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson has a decision to make. But rather than announce his intentions this week — as he initially indicated — the 6-foot, 185-pounder will ruminate a little longer.
“[I’m pushing it back] by a week or so,” Wilson told Eleven Warriors. “By the end of the month.”
Wilson, as mentioned, took his much-anticipated official with the Longhorns for their Spring Game this weekend, and it was certainly no coincidence the staff aired it out for more than 400 combined yards with the ultra-talented wideout in attendance. He spent time with five-star wide receiver commit Jordan Whittington and was hosted by freshman safety Caden Sterns, who both tried to impress upon him the value of playing his college ball close to home.
With that said, the Buckeyes will try to have the last word. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ryan Day and wide receivers coach Zach Smith are slated to travel to the Lone Star State on Tuesday to check on Wilson. And though they can’t have face-to-face contact with Wilson, their presence at his high school — and maybe an “incidental” greeting in the hallway — could very well put the finishing touches on his commitment.
I still believe Wilson will ultimately choose Ohio State when the time comes, but he’s clearly torn between the two programs he’s ever known. Now he just has to weigh his desire for proximity to home, opportunity for playing time and development on and off the field.
“Both schools have just about the same to offer,” Wilson said.
EVERY ACTION HAS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION
When Ohio State landed a commitment last Wednesday from Steele Chambers, I mentioned how it could very well signal the end of the Buckeyes’ pursuit of North Stafford, Virginia, four-star running back Devyn Ford.
Chambers — listed as an athlete who could play either running back or linebacker at the next level — would prefer to have the ball in his hands, though, and his pledge last week caught Ford completely off guard.
Ford doesn't mind that Chambers is now a part of Ohio State's 2019 class, but he is surprised that the Ohio State coaches didn't let him know they were taking a commitment from Chambers.
[The Buckeyes] let Ford know prior to Sampson James’ commitment and that actually helped build trust between Ohio State and Ford. Ford's camp is now questioning whether or not they can trust [the staff] and that plays right into the hands of Virginia Tech and Penn State.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Ford — who is considered the third-best running back and No. 63 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — was supposed to take an official visit to Columbus this coming weekend. However, multiple reports have stated that visit is now off.
Eleven Warriors has also independently confirmed Ford’s decision.
There was a sense the Buckeyes were gaining traction in Ford’s recruitment following an unofficial visit earlier this month, and his official visit could have put the program ahead of the Hokies and Nittany Lions in the race to land his pledge.
Now those two programs are the only ones left vying for his pledge, with the perceived edge going to Virginia Tech.
A MATTER OF TIME
Now that Marietta, Georgia, four-star offensive tackle Jake Wray has committed to Ohio State, he’s going to focus all of his efforts on recruiting on behalf of the Buckeyes.
One of his top targets is none other than IMG Academy four-star safety Lejond Cavazos, who was on campus for the Spring Game last weekend.
“The visit was absolutely great,” Cavazos told Eleven Warriors. “Just getting to spend time with the coaches was very important to me.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cavazos recorded just eight tackles and one interception in backup duty with the Ascenders last season, but holds 20 offers as a sophomore from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma Oregon, UCLA and USC — a number that will surely rise as he sees his role expand on the field this fall.
This marked the third time on campus for Cavazos, who made the trip with his father, C.J. He also attended last year’s Spring Game and the win over Penn State in October, where he spent time with Wray and Arizona four-star quarterback Jack Miller II.
Fun day getting to know these guys! Watch out for C/O 2020 pic.twitter.com/hp6WmLYPcV
— Stacy Wray (@StacyLWray) October 29, 2017
Cavazos has a long-established relationship with head coach Urban Meyer and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, but the weekend was actually the first time he’d met co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Alex Grinch and cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson.
They all went to Eddie George’s Grille 27 for dinner on Friday night.
“It went great — expect for them spicy wings I got,” Cavazos said with a laugh. “We weren’t really talking about football. It was more of getting to know each other and learn more about each other than we already know.”
The Buckeyes are the overwhelming favorite to land Cavazos’ pledge, but the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have made quite a push in recent months. He doesn’t have a decision timeline in mind, but plans to return to campus for Friday Night Lights.
Maybe then he’ll join Wray in Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class?
