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.
TAKE YOUR TIME
Ohio State hosted a handful of the nation’s top prospects for its first one-day camp of the summer on Friday, but all eyes were on Dayton Dunbar three-star offensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Allen — though considered the 44th-best offensive tackle and No. 471 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — has seemingly been on commitment watch since the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in early May. And though he’s grown close to offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa in the month or so since, he’s not yet ready to make a decision on his future.
“They definitely are trying to push it, I just don’t want to rush it,” Allen told reporters gathered after the event, noting he’s still considering offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Penn State.
Allen wants to take all five official visits to the above-mentioned schools in the coming weeks and then make a decision in August. If it’s ultimately Ohio State, Friday’s camp gave him the chance to learn directly his future position coach.
“[Studrawa] just kept telling me to move my hands, move my feet and work faster, move quicker,” Allen said, noting he needs to stay focused on bettering his craft every day. “The way he was pushing us today, I would love to be in that intensity in practice every day.”
I'll have more on Friday's camp later this evening.
PACKAGE DEAL?
As mentioned in a recent edition of the The Hurry Up, Marietta, Georgia, four-star athlete Arik Gilbert visited Ohio State on Tuesday with his teammates, four-star quarterback Harrison Bailey and Buckeyes four-star offensive tackle commit Jake Wray.
“It was great,” Gilbert told Eleven Warriors. “The coaches were all cool and Jake showed me around a little bit. We saw the stadium, the facilities and went to eat with Jake, his brother and a couple players.”
This marked the first time on campus for the 6-foot-5, 248-pound Gilbert, who is considered the top-rated athlete and No. 11 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, though the Buckeyes offered him last spring.
The staff is recruiting Gilbert as a tight end, as he hauled in 54 catches for 570 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Blue Devils to the state quarterfinals. I’d argue he’s an even more talented defensive end, though, having recorded 62 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, six sacks and one fumble returned for a touchdown last season.
Gilbert spent a considerable amount of time on Tuesday with head coach Urban Meyer and the aforementioned Wilson, and is looking forward to a return visit this fall.
“They just said they really like me as a player and person and that we have to keep a connection,” he said. “I want to go up for a game or two. They’re definitely a contender.”
In the meantime, Wray — who has been very outspoken about wanting to be the leader for his recruiting class — will remain in Gilbert’s ear about what the Buckeyes have to offer.
“He really wants us all to play together and stick together through college,” Gilbert said.
RING YOUR BELL, COLUMBUS
Indianapolis, Indiana, Warren Central four-star wide receiver David Bell included Ohio State in his Top 5 on Thursday night alongside Indiana, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue — as seen above.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Bell is considered the 16th-best wide receiver and No. 103 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he’s hauled in 155 receptions for 2,925 yards and three-year varsity career with the Warriors.
Bell has been to Columbus nearly a half-dozen times in the last year and has built a strong relationship with wide receivers coach Zach Smith and the aforementioned Wilson, which dates back to his time as the Hoosiers’ head coach.
Bell is close with four-star running back commit Sampson James, a fellow Indiana native, which certainly bodes well for the Buckeyes. He called Ohio State his dream school upon receiving an offer back in December. But a stellar junior season on the hardwood and his interest in playing basketball at the next level has allowed the Boilermakers to make a significant push in his recruitment this spring.
Bell was supposed to return to Columbus last month, but was forced to reschedule with Meyer out of town for the weekend. He’s rescheduled that trip for June 15, however.
While I still believe Ohio State will eventually land Bell’s pledge, I don’t anticipate it happening that weekend. He’s among the Buckeyes’ top targets at the position, but he plans on holding off on a decision until sometime during his senior season.
IS THIS THE WEEK?
Though he originally expected to attend Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights camp this summer, Bradenton, Florida, IMG Academy three-star safety Lejond Cavazos told Eleven Warriors he’ll attend the Buckeyes’ one-day camp on June 12.
This will be the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Cavazos’ fourth time on campus in the last year and a half, following up his most recent visit for the Spring Game in mid-April. He also attended last year’s spring scrimmage — during which he received a scholarship offer — and the win over Penn State in October.
Cavazos, who holds more than 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC, has not been shy about his affinity toward Ohio State. He has a long-established relationship with Meyer and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, and he’s quickly getting to know co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Alex Grinch and cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson. The Buckeyes are recruiting him as a cornerback, so he’ll receive some one-on-one instruction from Johnson on Tuesday afternoon.
The aforementioned Wray has already singled out Cavazos as one of his own personal top targets, and I think he should certainly be on commitment watch next week. But his recent visit with the Bulldogs has given him a lot to think about, so I anticipate his recruitment dragging on a little bit longer than expected.
CROSS HIM OFF THE BOARD
Though he built a strong relationship with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and visited campus several times — most recently for a spring practice in early late March — Wichita, Kansas, Northwest four-star defensive end Marcus Hicks committed to Oklahoma on Friday morning.
— Marcus Hicks (@harcus_micks) June 8, 2018
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound Hicks, who is considered the 24th-best defensive end and No. 314 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, included the Buckeyes in his Top 12 that same month. But given the staff already holds a commitment from Mentor four-star defensive end Noah Potter and remains in heavy pursuit of Olentangy Orange five-star Zach Harrison, they never really made him a priority.
