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.
AH, SO WE MEET AGAIN, MR. SWINNEY
Ohio State hosted more than a dozen of the nation’s top underclassmen late last month in what was the only weekend in which on-campus contact between coaches and prospects could occur before college football’s month long dead period.
Akron Archbishop Hoban four-star athlete DeaMonte Trayanum was among those in attendance, marking his third trip to campus since the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in January.
“It was great, like always,” Trayanum told Eleven Warriors.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Trayanum — who is considered the fourth-best player in the state and No. 282 prospect overall in the Class of 2020 — was accompanied on the visit for the first time by his mother and uncle.
“They were really excited to see the campus, meet the coaches and be introduced to Real Life Wednesdays,” Trayanum said.
Trayanum has seen everything the program and university has to offer, so this visit was more so about the opportunity for him and his family to sit down and talk with head coach Urban Meyer and running backs coach Tony Alford.
“[They told me to] take my time with this process and make sure that I ultimately make the right decision for me,” Trayanum said.
Trayanum followed that up with a one-day stop in Clemson. The Tigers have yet to offer, but find themselves in the thick of his recruitment following just a single visit.
“It went pretty good,” Trayanum said. “Clemson is just like Ohio State. Both schools have core values that they believe in deeply, and that’s what I want to surround myself with.”
Trayanum plans to visit both programs again this fall, especially since he’s never seen a game-day atmosphere at either school — which, at the very minimum, includes a return to Columbus for the season opener against Oregon State. He then hopes to make a decision before the start of his senior year.
SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS IN LIFE
Ohio State became the first Power 5 program to extend a scholarship offer Brownsburg, Indiana, defensive tackle Dane Middlebrook Jr. in late July.
“I felt very humbled and honored,” Middlebrook told Eleven Warriors. “Knowing that they believe in me makes me feel highly blessed.”
The offer came just a little over a month after the 6-foot-1, 320-pound Middlebrook attended a one-day camp in Columbus. That afternoon, he worked with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who was certainly impressed by his size and desire to learn.
“It was a privilege to learn from the best. I will definitely use the techniques he has taught me this season,” Middlebrook said. “Basically, there’s three things to sum up [what he saw in me]: greatness, potential and a coachable young man.”
It’s not often the Buckeyes are the first program to offer a prospect — and they certainly won’t be the last. Schools like Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue and Tennessee have all been in contact this spring, and it’ll be just a matter of time before the offers are rolling in.
“My ultimate goal is to find the university with the curriculum that will prepare me for my future,” Middlebrook said, noting he wants to become an engineer like his dad and take over the family business when he gets older.
There’s no doubt Ohio State is the early favorite in Middlebrook’s recruitment at this point in time. He’s in no hurry to make a decision on his future, however.
“Coach Johnson told me to focus on my season first,” Middlebrook said.
