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.
TALENTED TRIO
Ohio State went back to Orange, California, for the third time in the last week to offer a scholarship on Monday evening to Lutheran four-star tight end Ethan Rae.
I am speechless to have received an offer from THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/DlhQv2jHrP
— Ethan Rae (@Rae__Ethan) May 14, 2018
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Rae is considered the seventh-best tight end and No. 255 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, though he missed his entire junior season after he tore his ACL in fall camp. He holds 20 offers from programs such as California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA and USC.
As a sophomore at Servite, Rae hauled in 13 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He and four-star wide receiver Kyle Ford transferred to Orange Lutheran last summer to team up with South Carolina four-star quarterback commit Ryan Hilinski, both of whom the Buckeyes offered earlier this month.
Rae’s father, James, played defensive tackle for the Bruins in the early-90s, so they’re naturally the early favorite in his recruitment. But that said, offering all three prospects this month certainly helps the Buckeyes’ chances.
THE SERIES WAS BETTER
It’s been well-documented that Ohio State could potentially lose all six starting wide receivers following the 2018 season — seven, if you include walk-on-turned-scholarship-player C.J. Saunders — and the position is one of great need this cycle as a result.
While the staff would certainly love to land four or five blue-chip prospects to replace them, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. Just look back at the last two years, as the Buckeyes ultimately added three-star wideouts Ellijah Gardiner and Chris Olave to a batch of several higher-rated prospects late in their respective cycles.
A player who could ultimately fill that role this year is Odessa, Texas, Permian three-star Peyton Powell, whom the staff offered on Tuesday morning.
Wow.. Humble and Thankful beyond measure to announce I have received an offer From THE Ohio State University! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/GkpszCuCuU
— Peyton Powell (@PPowell_) May 15, 2018
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound Powell is considered the 42nd-best wide receiver and No. 496 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, though he accumulated more than 5,600 all-purpose yards and 74 touchdowns in his two-year career as the starting quarterback at Midland Christian. He transferred schools in January, and will now have a chance to win the Panthers’ starting gig with graduating senior Steve Steen off to the Naval Academy this fall.
Permian, you may recall, was the focus of the 1990 book (and later 2004 movie) “Friday Night Lights.”
Powell — who now holds a dozen offers from programs such as Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, Utah and Virginia — recently ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at Nike Football’s The Opening Dallas Regional. He also had a 37.6-inch vertical leap and a 4.25-second agility shuttle, which is why programs are seemingly torn on what position he’ll play at the next level.
NO DAYS OFF
With a little over two weeks left in the Spring Evaluation Period, the Ohio State staff continues to make its rounds across the country. And given the opportunity to evaluate some prospects in person, the Buckeyes handed out several new offers to underclassmen in the last few days, including:
Dunnellon, Florida, four-star athlete Ja’Quavion Fraziars
The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Fraziars is considered the 22nd-best athlete and No. 250 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he played cornerback and safety for a Tigers defense that allowed just 12.3 points per game. He also holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Tennessee and UCF.
Lake Forest, Illinois, four-star defensive end Rylie Mills
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Mills is considered the 10th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 228 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he racked up 19 tackles, nine tackles for a loss and two sacks for the Scouts last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Duke, Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
Memphis University School four-star offensive tackle Marcus Henderson III
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Henderson is considered the 13th-best offensive tackle and No. 80 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he was named second-team all-metro after he led the Owls to the second round of the state playoffs last fall. He holds 15 offers from programs such as Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
