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 AND I'LL BE WAITING
Damascus, Maryland, five-star defensive end Bryan Bresee included Ohio State in his Top 15 on Thursday afternoon alongside Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
Top 15 pic.twitter.com/w0KIiMp6Ue
— Bryan Bresee (@bryan_bresee) June 28, 2018
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Bresee is considered the top-rated strong-side defensive end and No. 1 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he recorded 16 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks to lead the Hornets to the state championship last fall.
The Buckeyes offered Bresee during a one-day camp last summer and instantly became the favorite in his recruitment thanks to his growing relationship with defensive line coach Larry Johnson. He’s been to campus a total of three times, most recently for the thrilling win over the Nittany Lions in October.
In the meantime, Bresee has become one of the most sought-after prospects in the country. He’s in no hurry to make a decision on his future as a result, but it feels like it’s shaping up to a three-way battle between Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State.
The Buckeyes could very well lose four defensive ends from the current roster by the time Bresee arrives on campus (that is, if and when Chase Young decides he's going to go pro after his junior season). Landing Bresee, Olentangy Orange five-star Zach Harrison and Mentor four-star Noah Potter over the next two cycles would certainly ease those concerns.
Bresee is among just a handful of underclassmen who were invited to participate in The Opening Finals, so I’m looking forward to getting a chance to catch up with him in the next few days.
MORE DETERMINATION THAN GREG JENNINGS WITH A BROKEN LEG
Nothing was going to stop Memphis Whitehaven three-star tight end Cormontae Hamilton from landing an offer from Ohio State during his unofficial visit for Friday Night Lights this past weekend — not a sprained AC joint in his shoulder or the fact that he didn’t have a ride to Columbus.
So with that, Hamilton hopped on a Greyhound bus by himself on Thursday morning and arrived that evening.
“It was just an enjoyable, grinding moment,” Hamilton told Eleven Warriors.
This marked the second trip to campus for the 6-foot-1, 256-pound Hamilton — who is considered the 34th-best tight end and No. 919 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — as he also attended the Spring Game back in April. He spent most of this visit with co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson, who showed him around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, then fought through the pain and earned himself an offer from the staff during the camp.
Blessed To Receive An Offer From The University Of Ohio State #GoBucks #OhioState pic.twitter.com/tGvmPrq9pi
— Cormontae Hamilton (@Cbvndzzz) June 23, 2018
“It felt wonderful because this is the offer that I have been wanting,” Hamilton said. “Coach Wilson told me I deserved it because I didn’t give up just because my shoulder was hurting. I kept pushing. Coach [Urban] Meyer told me he liked my athleticism and the sacrifices I made to make it up there.”
Hamilton holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Cincinnati, Louisville, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, but has Ohio State squarely at the top of his list. He’s in no hurry to make a decision on his future, so it’ll be interesting to see how the tight end position unfolds given West Virginia three-star Brenton Strange is the only other prospect on the staff’s radar at this point in time.
“The great football and student-athlete programs that they have, and just the communication and relationship I have with the coaches.”
LATE BLOOMER
Another name to keep in mind at the tight end position is Tomball, Texas, three-star Logan Compton, who also camped at Ohio State for Friday Night Lights.
THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/dCS1s5F6aJ
— Logan Compton (@logancompton80) June 23, 2018
“It was incredible,” Compton told Eleven Warriors. “The facilities are absolutely amazing. I watched the team practice before the camp and I got to see how hard they work. I like that, too.”
The 6-foot-4, 217-pound Compton is considered just the 52nd-best tight end and No. 1,278 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he’s bounced around from Cypress Ranch to IMG Academy to Tomball over the last two years. He caught Kevin Wilson’s during Houston’s satellite camp earlier this month, though, and the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator/tight ends coach invited him to campus.
“Coach Wilson is a great coach,” Compton said. “It was awesome working with him. He definitely knows what he’s doing.”
Compton seemingly caught every pass thrown his way on Friday night and proceeded to run a 4.62-second 40-yard dash, best among tight ends in attendance.
“[Wilson] said that I really helped myself by coming to camp,” Compton said. “He said that coach [Brian] Hartline and coach [Keenan] Bailey have been on him since February and that he is definitely going to start recruiting me now.”
Wilson and Compton briefly discussed his path to an offer, which includes Meyer watching his film and how the staff would like to see him put on a few more pounds in the coming months. If Ohio State does offer, there’s no doubt it would be a game-changer, since Compton’s current list includes the likes of Baylor, Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Maryland, Tulane and Texas State.
“That would be absolutely huge to me,” Compton said. “They are one of the most elite teams in the country.”
DUCK CALL
Ohio State is looking to add two or three more wide receivers this cycle to complement Texas five-star Garrett Wilson, but Nashville Franklin Road Academy four-star Lance Wilhoite will not be among them after he committed to Oregon on Thursday afternoon.
GLAD TO ANNOUNCE THAT IM 100% COMMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON pic.twitter.com/ErUMaxzTGJ
— Lance Wilhoite (@swaggylance) June 28, 2018
The 6-foot-3, 186-pound Wilhoite — who is considered the 22nd-best wideout and No. 116 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — wanted to commit to the Buckeyes the moment the staff offered him a scholarship last spring, but could never quite crack the list of top-tier targets despite a handful of visits. He had an opportunity to do so during a one-day camp earlier this month, but still sat behind St. Louis four-stars Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams on the staff’s list of priorities.
If Ohio State ultimately decides it wanted to take four wide receivers this cycle, Wilhoite would have been in competition with Indiana four-star David Bell and Texas four-star Elijah Higgins for that last slot.
