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.
PIQUING HIS INTERESTS
On June 14, Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, Ill.) tackle Nick Broeker announced his commitment to Ole Miss. But even after you commit, when you receive an offer from Ohio State, your eyebrows seem to raise a bit.
The Buckeyes offered Broeker on Tuesday and, make no mistake about it, they have the 6-foot-6, 283-pounder's attention.
"I am committed to Ole Miss but I'm curious to see Ohio State," Broeker told Eleven Warriors. "I haven't been to Ohio State for a visit but I've been in contact with them for a week. Mainly [offensive line] coach [Greg] Studrawa but coach [Urban] Meyer has messaged me a lot as well as [Mark] Pantoni."
Ohio State still needs to nab an offensive tackle in its Dynasty '19 recruiting class. Currently, the Buckeyes have just one 2019 tackle, Ryan Jacoby of Mentor (Ohio).
The outlook as a whole if a bit bleak as the Buckeyes aren't necessarily leading for any of the staff's top targets. Broeker, who's considered the 15th-best prospect in Illinois, would be a fine addition.
"On the field, I need to continue to work on my first step and technique," Broeker said. "Off the field, I definitely need to get stronger and put on good weight."
While Broeker, for now, is committed to being a future Rebel, we'll see if and when he makes a trip to Columbus.
BACK ON THE MARKET
After being committed to Georgia, Jadon Haselwod, the nation's top 2019 receiving prospect, has re-opened his recruitment. The Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.) wideout made the announcement via Twitter, Tuesday evening.
Thank you and no interviews at this time... pic.twitter.com/pAd8yPZjwz
— F E D E R A L (@jadon_haselwood) October 3, 2018
Ohio State has offered Haselwood, who made an unofficial visit to Columbus on March 4, 2017. But the Buckeyes appear to have a slim chance, if any at all, to land the 6-foot-2 wideout. It looks as if Miami has risen to the top of Haselwood's list, alongside Georgia, as he plans to visit the Hurricanes this Saturday. Oklahoma and Auburn are also in the mix.
The Buckeyes already hold commitments from two of the nation's best in Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams. Slot receiver/H-back Wandale Robinson will be in town this weekend for an official and could be the final piece to the 2019 receiving puzzle.
At one point it looked like Haselwood's recruitment would come down to the Buckeyes and Bulldogs, but for now Ohio State doesn't seem to be a real player for the five-star.
BUCKEYES OFFER MCGREGOR
Ohio State has sent its newest offer to Port Huron (Mich.) Northern's Braiden McGregor, a three-star defensive end that's ranked as the eighth-best prospect in the state.
Very thankful to receive a offer from The Ohio State University! Thank you to the coaching staff cant wait to come visit! #GOBucks #B1G pic.twitter.com/HIstSDxRiq
— Braiden McGregor (@BraidenMcgregor) October 3, 2018
McGregor, a 2020 recruit, is listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. He currently has offers from Michigan, Notre Dame and Iowa, among a host of others. But current predictions show a split down the middle between the Wolverines and Fighting Irish as McGregor's favorites.
What's also notable about McGregor's recruitment is that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh sent him his first text message once coaches were allowed to contact recruits ... at 4 a.m.
From the Detroit Free Press:
It was 4 a.m.
“Nebraska sent a text first, then coach Harbaugh text me like 4 o’clock in the morning,’’ McGregor said. “He said ‘hey, I heard you’re going to the (Notre Dame) game. It should be a good game and it should be nice to see Michigan beat Notre Dame.’ Obviously, that didn’t happen. I think I got 40 to 50 text messages and a couple of phone calls. I just got off the phone with Louisville. It has been pretty crazy.’’
EICHENBERG GETS A BUMP ... AND ANOTHER B1G OFFER
Last week, Ohio State offered Cleveland St. Ignatius linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, a three-star prospect that had already committed to Boston College.
Since then, the Buckeyes have become the favorite to eventually flip Eichenberg and the 6-foot-3, 225-pound backer has recently moved up the ranks a bit. According to 247Sports, Eichenberg is now the eighth-best recruit in Ohio and the 19-the best inside linebacker in the nation. He now checks in as a composite four-star.
Wednesday morning, Eichenberg received another offer, this time from Michigan. But as of Wednesday afternoon, the Buckeyes still had the best chance at signing him, according to crystal ball projections. As the early signing period approaches, Eichenberg's choice will certainly be an interesting one to take note of.
INTO THE TOP TEN
Even after Ohio State received a verbal commitment from Cardinal Ritter Prep (St. Louis, Mo.) wide receiver Jameson Williams last week, the Buckeyes' 2019 recruiting class was still ranked outside of the nation's top ten.
Williams' commitment catapulted Ohio State from No. 15 in the nation to No. 11. However, the Buckeyes received a slight bump Tuesday – with the recent update to the player rankings – and now possess the 10th-best 2019 class, according to 247Sports.
That movement was certainly aided by Lexington (Ohio) linebacker Cade Stover's improvement. Stover moved from the 81-best recruit nationally to the 51st-best while going from the No. 7 ranked outside linebacker to No. 5.
Ohio State still has the Big Ten's second-best recruiting class, behind Michigan, who comes in at No. 9 nationally. The eight programs in front of the Wolverines and Buckeyes, in order, are Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Clemson, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M.
