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.
GEOGRAPHICAL BATTLE
Back in April, Pickerington North defensive end Jack Sawyer became the first in-state prospect in the Class of 2021 to land an offer from Ohio State.
“It was very exciting,” Sawyer told Eleven Warriors. “Growing up a Columbus kid, you’re always watching the Buckeyes. To know that you’re the first in your class with an offer, it makes me feel really good and just makes me want to continue to work and grow my potential.”
The 6-foot-5, 219-pound Sawyer emerged as a freshman, as he recorded 58 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble to lead the Panthers to the state quarterfinals last season. He’s since picked up offers from Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Pittsburgh.
Sawyer has been to campus numerous times this spring, most recently for a one-day camp last month where he worked directly with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“Coach Johnson is a great coach and teacher and it was really fun working with him,” Sawyer said. “He thought I did really well. He said to continue to work on flipping my hips and other stuff he was teaching me throughout camp.”
Sawyer has also been in contact with co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach/area recruiter Alex Grinch, who offered back in April. The two have grown close in the months since.
“Our relationships are really good,” Sawyer said. “Our conversations aren’t always just about football or recruiting, but just making sure I’m as interested in them as they are with me.”
Sawyer admitted the Buckeyes are very high on his list, but also said the Nittany Lions, Spartans and Wolverines are standing out early in the process. He doesn’t feel like he’s particularly close to a decision, either.
“I’d like to be close to it at this point next year,” Sawyer said. “Ultimately, it will come down to the relationships with the staffs and the right fit for me.”
Sawyer plans to return to campus for a game this fall.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Once believed to be a shoo-in for Ohio State’s Dynasty ’19 recruiting class, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman four-star wide receiver Trey Knox will make his college decision on Oct. 1 — and I don’t anticipate it’ll be the Buckeyes unless something drastic changes in the weeks ahead.
I will be committing October 1st
— Trey Knox Snag Crew CEO (@Fbu1Tk) July 21, 2018
The 6-foot-4, 204-pound Knox — who is the former teammate of Ohio State running back Master Teague III — was among the staff’s top targets at the wide receiver position early in the process, and multiple visits to Columbus made it seem like only a matter of time before he picked the Buckeyes. But concerns about his speed quickly made him fall behind five-star commit Garrett Wilson; California four-star Kyle Ford; Indiana four-star David Bell; Kentucky four-star Milton Wright; St. Louis four-stars Marcus Washington and Jameson Williams; and Texas four-star Elijah Higgins on the staff’s list of priorities.
The Buckeyes are only set to take four wide receivers this cycle, so Knox’s chances of being in the class dwindled considerably this spring. If he was open to playing tight end at the next level, maybe things would be different, especially since the staff isn’t completely enamored with any tight ends this cycle and there was an opportunity for Knox to be that guy. His desire to play wide receiver apparently outweighed everything else, though.
Several trips to Arkansas and Tennessee this spring have pushed the Razorbacks and Volunteers to the forefront of his recruitment. He took an official visit to Fayetteville last month and will likely take one to Knoxville during the season.
Ohio State could obviously circle back and make things interesting, but I anticipate either Tennessee three-star Cormontae Hamilton or West Virginia three-star Brenton Strange will be the answer at tight end.
TAKE YOUR TIME
Chesapeake, Virginia, Oscar Smith four-star cornerback Cam’Ron Kelly decommitted from Virginia Tech on Saturday evening, a little over six weeks after he surprisingly committed to the Hokies over finalists Auburn, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia and Washington State.
Thank you for everything ! #Hokienation pic.twitter.com/2eflzkVtAD
— Cam'Ron Kelly (@CamRonJKelly) July 22, 2018
“I still have interest in Ohio State,” Kelly told Eleven Warriors. “I’m open to everyone.”
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Kelly — who is considered the 12th-best athlete and No. 174 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — has been to Columbus a few times, as he attended the 39-38 win over the Nittany Lions last fall and then returned for an unofficial visit in February. After spending time with head coach Urban Meyer and the aforementioned Grinch, he subsequently included the Buckeyes in his Top 8.
Penn State was considered the favorite in his recruitment throughout the spring, but things took a drastic turn in the days leading up to his announcement in early June. Virginia Tech pushed the idea of staying home and came out of nowhere to secure his pledge after not even being included in his Top 8.
Ohio State never really made a push in Kelly’s recruitment, with St. Thomas Aquinas four-star cornerback Jordan Battle their top priority all spring. The Buckeyes will likely take just one more prospect at the position, and it’s seemingly earmarked for Texas three-star Peyton Powell, who is set to announce his college decision next month.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Ohio State welcomed thousands of prospects to campus last month for one-day camps and Friday Night Lights, including Columbus Franklin Heights quarterback Jeffery Beverly.
Yessir @ryandaytime was very impressed with my size and the fact that Im only going to be a freshmen !!! #freshmenszn #FHHS #mindovermatter #buckeyes #OSU #buckeyenation #FNL @CoreyDennis_ @OSUCoachMeyer @markpantoni pic.twitter.com/c8oHNISEip
— Jeffery Beverly (@JefferyBeverly4) June 23, 2018
“It was great,” Beverly told Eleven Warriors. “There was a lot of competition and I learned a lot of new things from the coaches and staff.”
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Beverly is only entering his freshman season this fall, but made quite the impression on offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ryan Day and graduate assistant Corey Dennis.
“They were both really shocked by my size as a freshman,” Beverly said. “They both said I threw some really good balls at camp and coach Day wants me to send him my film after this season and come up to a game this fall.”
Beverly is still awaiting his first college offer, but his ability to stand out when working alongside Ohio State four-star commit Jack Miller III and Tennessee three-star commit Brian Maurer at Friday Night Lights shows a promising future is ahead. And if the Buckeyes ultimately offer, it would be a dream come true.
“It would mean everything to me to get an offer from the Ohio State Buckeyes,” Beverly said. “What I need to do is out work everybody and show them that I’m their guy. It all starts with leadership. You know Ohio State is all about leadership. They love guys who can come in and change things around.”
