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.
A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Hogansville, Georgia, Callaway five-star athlete Cartavious “Tank” Bigsby included Ohio State in his Top 15 on Saturday afternoon alongside Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Blessed.. My Top 15 pic.twitter.com/MIwskyiVYb
— 4 (@Tank5_21) August 4, 2018
The 6-foot, 195-pound Bigsby is considered the second-best athlete and No. 31 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he racked up 1,330 all-purpose yards and 17 touchdowns to help the Cavaliers to the state quarterfinals last fall. He’ll likely play running back at the next level, but some schools are recruiting him as a slot receiver, linebacker or safety.
The Buckeyes, specifically, view him as ballcarrier, but already hold a commitment from Arizona four-star Darvon Hubbard. The position is loaded for next cycle, too, with prospects like California five-star Kendall Milton, Dublin Coffman four-star Michael Drennen II, Florida four-star Demarkcus Bowman and Texas four-star E.J. Smith already showing serious interest in playing their college ball in Columbus.
Bigsby, whom Ohio State offered last spring, has never been to campus. And with that said, it’s going to be an uphill battle to steal him away from the home-state Bulldogs.
MAKE A WISH!
As a way to celebrate his 17th birthday, Carrollton, Georgia, four-star linebacker Kevin Swint also listed Ohio State in his Top 15 this weekend alongside Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
Blessed to see 17 !!! pic.twitter.com/Q5WpqzNW6T
— KevinSwint (@kevinswint1) August 4, 2018
“I feel like [the Buckeyes] can increase my chances to pursue my dream and also get me out of my comfort zone to make me better in life as a man,” Swint told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Swint is considered the 11th-best outside linebacker and No. 182 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he recorded 101 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, 30 quarterback hurries, 18 sacks, six pass break ups and four forced fumbles to lead the Trojans to the state quarterfinals last season.
The Buckeyes extended an offer to Swint last summer, co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach/area recruiter Alex Grinch dropped by his high school during the Spring Evaluation Period to watch him and his teammate, 2021 linebacker Chaz Chambliss, practice.
“They really loved how versatile I was, my athleticism and that I play very smart,” Swint said, relaying what Grinch told his coach since NCAA rules prevent them from meeting beyond the exchange of a brief greeting.
Neither Swint nor Chambliss, who also holds an early offer from Ohio State, has been to Columbus. They hoped to make it to a one-day camp over the summer, but that fell through, so they’re already in the process of planning a game-day visit for the fall.
“Hopefully, I’ll be up there soon,” he said.
TREADING WATER
Top school lists — reflective of the recruiting scene as a whole — are generally quite fluid. We’ve seen schools that did not make the cut one month come out of nowhere to secure a prospect’s pledge the next, while some prospects continuously update their top schools.
Such was the case for Dickinson, Texas, three-star tight end Jalen Wydermyer, who initially listed Ohio State in his Top 8 last month alongside Auburn, Baylor, Georgia, Miami, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. He revised his list over the weekend, however, and swapped the Tigers (both of them) for Alabama and LSU.
Updated Top 8@Recruit_Edits pic.twitter.com/vbUl1VXiNv
— Jalenwydermyer (@Wydermyer81) August 3, 2018
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Wydermyer is considered the 17th-best tight end and No. 378 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, though he racked up 1,221 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns while splitting time between quarterback and wide receiver for the Gators last season.
Offensive coordinator and area recruiter Kevin Wilson extended a scholarship to Wydermyer during the Spring Evaluation Period back in May. The two caught up at the Buckeyes’ satellite camp in Houston one month later.
Wydermyer told Eleven Warriors he hopes to take an official visit to Columbus this fall. Ohio State already holds a commitment at the tight end position from Tennessee three-star Cormontae Hamilton, however, and it’s unlikely they add another.
If the staff ultimately decides to take two — likely the direct result of the staff not reaching its wide receiver quota (4) — West Virginia three-star Brenton Strange would be the Buckeyes’ top target thanks to his receiving abilities and familiarity with the staff and campus.
The Aggies are considered the favorite in Wydermyer’s recruitment meanwhile, after the program signed his good friend and former teammate, three-star receiver Montel Parker, last winter. He’s in no hurry to make a decision, though — likely the result of the Aggies already holding 24 commitments (out of a maximum 25) this cycle.
