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.
WHICH B1G TITLE GAME SIDELINE WILL HE BE ON?
Ohio State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day has been trying to get Wisconsin four-star quarterback commit Graham Mertz to campus for several months now, but he’s remained firm in his commitment and only been to Madison since he pledged his services to the Badgers last October.
In town this weekend for Rivals’ adizero Combine at Hilliard Bradley, however, Mertz and his family decided to drop by the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Monday morning to see what the Buckeyes have to offer. The visit was first reported by Rivals’ Adam Friedman and since confirmed by Eleven Warriors.
“We're here for an extra day because that's how our flights worked out so we figured we should go over there and check it out,” Mertz told Friedman. “The coaches are excited. They've been pushing for a visit for a few months. I've never been there before. They've got Dwayne Haskins this year, so it'll be interesting to see how that works out because he's a lot like me. We kind of have the same pocket presence and can both make the same throws so it'll be good to see how they use him."
As mentioned, this marks the first trip to campus for the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Mertz — who is considered the fifth-best pro-style quarterback and No. 148 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he threw for 3,684 yards and 45 touchdowns to lead the Mustangs to the state title last fall. He’s become one of the nation’s most sought-after signal callers, with programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and Oregon having all offered since the turn of the year.
Day and head coach Urban Meyer have publicly and repeatedly admitted this year’s group of quarterbacks is not particularly deep, but Mertz certainly stands out as one of the best. He’s already punched his ticket to the Elite 11 Finals and was named the most valuable quarterback at Sunday’s camp.
Landing a quarterback of Mertz’s caliber would certainly be ideal, but Monday’s visit isn’t necessarily indicative of a looming flip. Things simply worked in the Buckeyes’ favor given the close proximity of the camp.
“I've had a lot of interest from other schools but Wisconsin is still my number one,” Mertz said. “I love the guys there, coach [Jon] Budmayr and coach [Paul] Chryst. It's a great spot for me. I'm very solid right now.”
Ohio State, meanwhile, remains the favorite for Houston St. Pius X four-star quarterback Grant Gunnell. He’s not expected to make a decision for another month, though, If Gunnell doesn’t pick the Buckeyes — or pushes back his decision timeline considerably — the staff will surely push for Mertz to return for an official visit.
Heck, they might still try to make a move for Mertz regardless of what Gunnell does. And if that happens, well... Maryland three-star safety Bryson Shaw might not be the last prospect to flip between the two programs this cycle.
LEADER IN THE CLUBHOUSE
Oak Park, Michigan, four-star offensive guard Justin Rogers showed this weekend why he’s widely regarded as one of the nation’s best rising juniors, as he earned most valuable lineman honors at The Opening Canton Regional on Saturday afternoon.
The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Rogers went toe-to-toe and won several one-on-one reps against Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harrison and Michigan four-star commit Stephen Herron Jr. And if everything falls into place, it won’t be the last time he faces Harrison and Herron — be it in practice or in The Game.
But while Rogers has been to Ohio State more than any other school and has openly shared his affinity for the program, he doesn’t anticipate making a decision on his future until Sept. 12 (his birthday of his senior year. That gives programs like Georgia and Michigan, which also stand out early, a chance to make a move in his recruitment.
Rogers is also planning a massive trip this summer that includes trips to Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
“I’m really looking for academics and building relationships with the players,” Rogers said. “Nowadays, coaches get fired or get a new job, so I really want to build a relationship with the players.”
That said, the Buckeyes sit in a great spot early. Rogers speaks with Meyer and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa weekly and spends a considerable amount of time with the current offensive line whenever he makes his way to campus.
“How they produce people [stands out],” Rogers said. “It’s really about off the field, how you carry yourself, rather than just on the field.”
Rogers has family in Dayton, so Columbus isn’t too far out of his way whenever he wants to visit. He’s made the trip at least a half-dozen times in the last year.
“It’s fun,” Rogers said, noting he plans to return again on June 6. “Just go and visit, talk to everybody and the players. It’s good to experience it.”
PROBABLY THE BEST DECISION
Rogers was among a large contingent of prospects from Michigan who visited Ohio State on Sunday following the aforementioned Rivals camp. That included his teammate, Michigan State four-star quarterback commit Dwan Mathis.
Though the Spartans do not typically allow commits to visit other schools, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Mathis went out of his way to see the Buckeyes — especially since Day was on the road recruiting this weekend. He was simply along for the ride.
“If a couple of my teammates stop there, sure. If they don’t, then so be it,” Mathis told Eleven Warriors on Saturday. “Right now, I’m just focused on getting better as a person and an individual; getting faster and stronger; and getting my teammates acclimated to our new system. Stuff like that. I’m not really focused on the process. I’ll let that handle itself like it did in the past.”
Mathis has respectfully declined any interview requests since his brief stop in Columbus, but sources close to him indicated he remains 100 percent committed to Michigan State.
Walled Lake Western three-star quarterback Sam Johnson, on the other hand, was excited to see Ohio State. And though there was the thought that renewed, albeit late interest from the Buckeyes could alter his decision timeline, he committed to Boston College on Monday afternoon.
Finally decided to fly committed to @BCFootball pic.twitter.com/Ase1wUVN6V
— Sam Johnson 3 (@SJ3_theFuture) May 7, 2018
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Johnson is considered the 15th-best pro-style quarterback and No. 412 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he threw for 2,115 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Warriors last season. He picked the Eagles over finalists Iowa, Missouri and Michigan.
