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.
HOLMES TALKS OHIO STATE OFFER
As reported in yesterday's Hurry Up, Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford continued to scout the state of Florida for talent in the backfield. Alford recently offered Cocoa athlete Caziah Holmes, a 6-foot, 175-pound athlete that's considered a four-star prospect.
Holmes, who said his recruiting process is going smooth right now, is ranked as the 20th-best athlete in the class of 2020. He's also ranked as Florida's 45th-best overall prospect.
Hopefully soon, he'll be in Columbus for a visit.
"I haven’t been to Ohio State yet but I plan on going sometime soon," Holmes told Eleven Warriors. I haven’t been in contact with any coaches that frequently until the offer. Coach Alford taught me a lot of stuff that I didn’t know."
Extremely blessed and honored to receive an offer Ohio State University @CocoaFootball @adam_franco @Cocoa_Schneider @CoachTonyAlford @OhioStateFB @CSwag7 @247Sports @Rivals @pheona762000 pic.twitter.com/izbTYs6Ctg
— 5stargeneral (@CaziahHolmes) October 25, 2018
According to 247Sports, Holmes currently has offers from nine schools: Miami (FL), Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and Ohio State.
But more should be trickling in anytime now.
"I can always put in more work on the field, and off the field, such as in the weight room or on the sand dunes and studying," Holmes said. "My team is doing well so far and we are expecting to go to [the state championship game] and win."
Cocoa is 7-2 and on a five-game win streak. Holmes has been a big part of that success, rushing for 751 yards and 10 touchdowns on 95 carries, or 7.9 yards per attempt. Those numbers have come while splitting the backfield with two teammates.
Holmes has also caught 11 passes for 132 yards and a score alongside 104 kickoff return yards.
SOUTHERN OHIO TALENT
Much of Ohio State's success within the football program has come because of the Buckeyes' ability to recruit in-state talent so well. They're not overlooking Portsmouth's Talyn Parker, a 2020 running back and outside linebacker at the tip of southern Ohio.
The Trojans, who are 7-3 and currently locked into a first-round playoff matchup with Middletown Madison, have relied heavily on Parker's legs throughout the season. The 5-foot-11, 188-pound running back has put up video game numbers all year.
Just last week, in a 35-28 win over Ironton, Parker rushed for 309 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries. He finished the regular season with 253 attempts for 2,477 yards and 29 touchdowns. Those are actual numbers.
College visit to @OhioStFootball Had a wonderful time with @TalynParker at #OSU vs #IUgame!
— Mikey(TRUCK)Lampkins (@MikeyMj2102) October 9, 2018
Talyn rushed for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns the night before Setting a school record! #futurebuckeye in the making!#OhioState #OhioStatefootball #CollegeFootball #Collegevisit #letsdowork pic.twitter.com/grQ9xtp1qe
Parker has only tweeted eight times but one of those eight show him on a official visit to Ohio State on Oct. 9 against Indiana. He'll be back in Columbus next month.
"I've grown up an Ohio State fan, ever since I was little," Parker said. "I love the campus also. It's beautiful and big. I've noticed the fans and how into the sports they are. I really love it. I'm heading up for the Michigan game, which should be exciting."
It's also important to note that in a direct message, Parker crossed out the first letter of Michigan ... he's already working on becoming a fan favorite.
"I've been in contact with [assistant athletic director] Mark Pantoni, [program assistant] Ed Terwilliger pretty frequently every week or so," Parker said. "I've also talked to Urban [Meyer] on the phone this past month, which was a great experience for me personally."
As Parker's recruiting process starts to ramp up, the Buckeyes certainly have an early lead.
JACK MILLER RELEASES HIGHLIGHT TAPE
Last week, 2020 Ohio State quarterback commit Jack Miller (Chaparral, Az.) announced the end of his junior season due to a knee injury. Monday, he released this year's highlight tape ... and it's something to behold.
Miller ended his season with 2,431 passing yards and a 27-6 touchdown-interception ratio.
JUNIOR SEASON TAPE
— Jack Miller (@jackjamesmiller) October 28, 2018
https://t.co/NCYXE6Bqg3 pic.twitter.com/rWKHcabpEB
Caziah Holmes Photo Credit: Craig Bailey/Florida Today
