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.
HOMEGROWN TALENT
We’ve discussed at length over the last few months the overall depth of next year’s recruiting class, seemingly overlooking some of the top-rated in-state prospects — like Cincinnati Winton Woods cornerback MiQuan Grace — in the process.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Grace has been to Ohio State numerous times in the last year, most recently for the Buckeyes’ Friday Night Lights recruiting extravaganza in late June, where he worked directly with new cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson.
“It was great, man,” Grace told Eleven Warriors. “He showed me a lot of love and gave me some great compliments. I know for a fact that I was the best defensive back in the camp. I wish you could have seen me. It was probably my best camp of the summer.”
Grace — the former teammate of Ohio State redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jerron Cage — grew particularly close to former assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs, but contact with the Buckeyes fell off a bit when Coombs took a job with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans following last season. Johnson quickly rekindled the relationship and invited Grace back to campus for a spring practice, however.
“He is a Cincinnati guy, as well, so it’s been a smooth transition,” Grace said. “We vibe a lot. He really understands me. We have a lot of great conversations.”
Grace holds early offers from Ball State, Cincinnati, Kent State, Kentucky and Toledo, but there’s no doubt Ohio State would shoot to the top of his list if the Buckeyes ever followed through with an offer of their own.
“It would mean the world to any kid,” Grace said. “But to be from Ohio, it's just a little more special.”
Ohio State already holds one commitment at the cornerback position from IMG Academy four-star Lejond Cavazos, and remains among the top schools for Arizona five-star Kelee Ringo, California five-star Elias Ricks, Texas five-star R.J. Mickens, Florida four-star Miles Brooks. Miami four-star commit Henry Gray is also a prime flip candidate, so the Buckeyes certainly have numerous options moving forward.
LASTING IMPRESSION
With that said, Ohio State hosted a number of underclassmen for unofficial visits late last month as part of one big recruiting weekend in between college football’s July and August dead periods.
Camden, New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson four-star defensive end Fadil Diggs was among those in attendance as he and several of his teammates made a stop in Columbus as part of a college tour that included stops at Louisville and Virginia. That includes three-star running back Muheem McCargo.
“It was real nice,” Diggs told Eleven Warriors.
This marked the first trip to campus for the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Diggs — who is considered the 12th-best weak-side defensive end and No. 207 prospect overall in the Class of 2020. He spent a considerable amount of time with head coach Urban Meyer and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who offered back in May and showed him around campus that afternoon.
“Coach Johnson sat me down and showed me a lot of moves I can work on doing this season,” Diggs said. “Coach Meyer said he would love to coach me in the future.”
Diggs — who holds nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia — plans to return to campus for a game in the fall and then make a decision on his future following his junior season.
“I gotta get back down there soon,” he said.
