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.
INCHING CLOSER
Last December, Ohio State sent an offer to five-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Five months later, Wilson's acceptance put the Buckeyes' 2019 recruiting class on the map.
Now, the Buckeyes are hoping to get a boost to what's considered the No. 15 ranked recruiting class in the nation. If they were to sway four-star athlete Peyton Powell (Odessa, Texas) away from the southwestern part of the country, that boost certainly happens.
However, getting Powell will be no easy task. After originally having a lead in Powell's recruitment, it looks as if Ohio State has lost the upper hand to Oklahoma, which Powell visited on Sept. 1. According to 247Sports, Powell is set to make a decision this Wednesday. However, according to Powell, he may have some things to take care of first.
"I'm at the end of my recruiting, trying to see the last top programs I haven't visited yet," Powell told Eleven Warriors. "I've only been on one official to Ohio State ... loved everything about them and how they took me in."
Powell said he talks with Ohio State coach Urban Meyer an defensive coordinator Greg Schiano on a daily basis. When asked which coach has made the biggest impact on his recruitment, Powell didn't hesitate when naming Schiano.
"It was just how much he opened up and told me how he actually felt about me as a person and as a athlete," Powell said.
Crystal ball predictions say there's a 100 percent chance Powell becomes a Sooner. But stranger things have happened. For now, Powell's focus is on Friday when his Permian Panthers host Los Fresnos.
"I'm just going to keep working hard everyday, keeping my head down and focusing," he said. "I expect to be in the mix of the teams expected at state runs."
AIDING OHIO STATE'S EFFORTS?
If you don't live under a rock, you knew that this past Friday featured a prep football showdown between IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). And if you follow Ohio State's recruiting efforts, you may have seen Lejond Cavazos' tweet.
Let me clear the air... @Eliasricks2020 and I will be playing college ball together.
— Lejond Cavazos (@lejondaryy) September 24, 2018
Cavazos, a 2020 four-star defensive back, sent a tweet out following Friday's game that hinted he would be playing college football with Mater Dei cornerback and Ohio State target Elias Ricks, considered the top 2020 cornerback recruit in the nation.
Ricks retweeted Cavazos' tweet and then quoted a tweet of himself and Cavazos signaling the "O" in "O-H-I-O," with a caption that said, "Family ties..."
Family ties... @lejondaryy https://t.co/FdGUlOW33s
— XII (@Eliasricks2020) September 24, 2018
Cavazos also quote tweeted the same picture and said, "This the future of DBU and I put that on everything....."
If nothing else, it's most certainly an interesting development in Ricks' recruitment. Ricks visited the Buckeyes on July 28, the same day they offered. However, many believe USC to be leading the way in landing him, which makes sense considering Mater Dei has long been a USC pipeline of prep standouts – including current Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young, JT Daniels, Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley.
It's also worth noting the fact that Ricks named Ohio State as one of his "dream schools" this past summer. Ricks could certainly end up at USC but the Buckeyes are definitely still alive and well in the running. Only time will tell if Cavazos' prophecy turns into reality.
BUCKEYES OFFER DONOVAN EDWARDS
As noted in Sunday's Hurry Up, this past Saturday was an important day for Ohio State's recruiting front. 2021 West Bloomfield (Mich.) running back Donovan Edwards was on hand for the Buckeyes' 49-6 win over Tulane, alongside teammate Makari Paige, a 2020 safety who the Buckeyes are also actively recruiting.
Edwards didn't just leave Columbus after seeing an Ohio State win, he left with an offer from the Buckeyes in hand.
Blessed to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/Rv3mVXJmXc
— Donovan Edwards (@yallknow_d3) September 22, 2018
While Edwards' recruiting process is in its early stages, the young man most certainly has all the motivation he'd ever need. Perry Farrell of the Detroit Free Press ran an article Monday morning that detailed Edwards' loss of his mother Donna, who died of cancer when Edwards was just two years old.
“She wanted us to do the right things," Edwards told the Detroit Free Press. "I think about her all the time. I do things because I want her to be proud of me. It’s tough not having her around."
Edwards also told the Detroit Free Press that his Saturday's visit to Columbus was "unbelievable" and that the atmosphere was "something that's hard to describe."
(Peyton Powell photo via Mike Roach/247Sports)
