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.
NOTHING MORE THAN A HAT ON THE TABLE
Amite, Louisiana, four-star athlete Devonta Lee included Ohio State in his Top 7 earlier this week alongside Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas.
Top 7 pic.twitter.com/M3o0eMYjtI
— Devonta Lee (@DevontaleeLee) July 30, 2018
The 6-foot-2, 212-pound Lee is considered the seventh-best athlete and No. 105 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, but the Buckeyes are recruiting him as a wide receiver. Head coach Urban Meyer extended a scholarship offer last June, and he’s maintained contact with assistant wide receivers coach Keenan Bailey in the year since.
Lee has never been to campus, but previously told Eleven Warriors he grew up rooting for Ohio State — and much like Utah four-star defensive tackle Siaki Ika — would regularly use the Buckeyes whenever he played EA Sports’ NCAA Football video game franchise. He plans to talk with interim wide receivers coach Brian Hartline in the coming weeks about setting up an official visit this fall, most likely for the regular season finale against Michigan.
All that said, sources close to Lee have indicated he’s likely to end up on the defensive side of the ball in college, and few expect him to leave the SEC West. Of course, neither of those things favor the Buckeyes as he heads toward a decision on National Signing Day, Feb. 6.
A SIMILAR STORY
Houston North Forest five-star wide receiver Demond Demas also included Ohio State in his Top 5 earlier this week alongside Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas — essentially dropping Clemson, Florida and Texas A&M from a list he released last month.
Top 5 related thats how it is pic.twitter.com/G3qMOMbGHF
— Mr.#1 (@DemondDemas1) July 30, 2018
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Demas is considered the third-best wide receiver and No. 19 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he was named first-team all-district after he led the Bulldogs to the state playoffs last fall. The Buckeyes offered him a scholarship back in April, and he’d built a solid relationship with Smith in the meantime as the two caught up during a satellite camp at Houston earlier this summer.
“I talk to the coaches a lot and I keep a close relationship with them,” Demas told Eleven Warriors last month, which was of course before Smith was fired amid domestic abuse allegations.
Demas has never been to campus, but is hopeful he’ll make his first trip this fall. All that said, Texas is the overwhelming favorite in his recruitment since he’s the teammate of 2019 four-star offensive tackle Javonne Shepherd, who committed to the Longhorns last weekend.
WILL THEY BE FORCED TO CIRCLE BACK LATER?
Though I projected him to eventually be in Ohio State’s Dynasty ’19 recruiting class, Concord, North Carolina, Cox Mill three-star defensive end Terrell Dawkins committed to North Carolina State on Thursday evening.
— Terrell Dawkins (@T_dawk89) August 2, 2018
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Dawkins — who is considered the 57th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 869 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — visited Columbus this this spring, as he attended the Spring Game in April and a one-day camp in June. During his most recent trip, he spent time at the Buckeyes’ annual job fair and worked directly with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“I really got to see how he coaches and all the stuff he talked about is really beneficial for me,” Dawkins told Eleven Warriors. “I like everything about him, he’s a pretty good coach. I learned a lot of new things from him today. Working with him has really got me better and thinking about it.”
Dawkins subsequently listed Ohio State in his Top 5 alongside Florida, North Carolina State, Notre Dame and Tennessee, and noted that he would simply announce his decision when the timing felt right.
“Ohio State has always been a great school to me. I always looked up to them and wished I could get an offer from them. It was pretty big for me,” Dawkins said. “Communication and the connection with the coaches and how everything is overall [will be the deciding factor].”
There was a belief that Dawkins might take an official visit to Columbus this fall, which would have given the Buckeyes a backup plan in case they miss out on Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harrison. With the options behind him at the position dwindling, landing his pledge only becomes that much more important.
