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.
POWELL PICKS TEXAS
Multiple times, Ohio State thought it was so close to having Peyton Powell in its '19 Dynasty recruiting class ... and on each occasion, the Buckeyes couldn't close the deal.
Ultimately, Powell chose to stay home as the Permian (Odessa, Texas) athlete committed to Texas Tuesday afternoon via Twitter. It's also important to note that Ohio State had recruited Powell as a defensive back ... he has continually expressed interest in playing offense at the next level.
Thank you God... Hookem pic.twitter.com/Q76sUv5j6N
— [P] (@PPowell_) October 23, 2018
Powell is a four-star athlete, considered Texas' 42nd best overall prospect and the 19th best at his position, nationally. Standing at 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, Powell becomes the 19th member of Texas' 2019 class.
The Longhorns beat out Oklahoma, Ohio State and TCU, who were all considered to be significant challengers.
As for the Buckeyes, they'll now have to shift their focus towards 2019 defensive back prospects Kaiir Elam (North Palm Beach, Fla.), Jalen Catalon (Mansfield, Texas) and Josh Sanguinetti (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), among others. Ohio State currently has three defensive back commits this cycle in four-star Jordan Battle (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), four-star Ronnie Hickman (Wayne, N.J.) and three-star Bryson Shaw (Potomac, Md.).
PICKETT HOPING FOR A LOOK
If the Buckeyes aren't on Ameir Pickett's trail just yet, they may want to at least take a look.
Pickett, a sophomore running back and cornerback from Saginaw, Michigan, is a 6-foot, 187-pound unranked prospect that says he has interest in any Division I or II school that has interest in him. He markets himself well, too.
"I have interest in any D1 or D2 colleges and I have sent film to some of their football staff, I do that a lot, too," Pickett said. "I love to compete, my work ethic is through the roof and I refuse to let anybody outwork me. I am very coachable, respectable, and can always take criticism on what I need to improve on."
Pickett, a class of 2021 prospect, says going to a Division I college has always been a dream of his. He could be a silent steal but don't take my word for it. Watch his highlights.
"I just really wanna go Division I," Pickett said. "That’s all I've ever dreamed of since I was a kid. I put in the work every day and I won’t stop."
PRINCETON COACH TALKS HENRY AND THOMAS
Out of 13 crystal ball predictions, nine for Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio) defensive end Darrion Henry and four for linebacker and teammate Jaheim Thomas, all 13 predict Ohio State currently.
That's obviously good news. But it doesn't stop there.
Princeton coach Mike Daniels is committed to making Henry and Thomas not only better players, but better men.
"The mission for me, when I got into high school coaching, is to pour into young men," Daniels told 247Sports. "At the end of the day, wins and losses are great but it's about the life lessons and giving these kids opportunities to further their education."
Henry, a four-star strong-side end that's considered Ohio's second-best prospect in the 2020 class, stands at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds. He has offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Notre Dame, among many others.
"He's a beast," Daniels said. "He's tough, he has size, speed ... all those things. He's a beast."
Thomas, a four-star 2020 outside linebacker, is ranked as Ohio's No. 4 prospect and the sixth-best prospect at his position, nationally.
"Out of all my guys, Jaheim probably has the highest ceiling," Daniels said. "He's a young junior. His better days are going to be in front of him."
