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.
THE POTTER'S HOUSE
Since Oct. 19, Mentor's defense has been scary good and that's petrifying when you consider the fact that the Cardinals were already pretty damn good beforehand.
In wins over Euclid, Elyria, Strongsville and Canton McKinley — the latter two being OHSAA postseason games — Mentor has allowed a combined 20 points. A big part of that is certainly defensive end Noah Potter, an Ohio State commit in the class of 2019.
While the Buckeyes pummeled Michigan State this past weekend, Potter's favorite game to play in also took shape in the form of conquering a Spartan.
"My favorite game was against Euclid," Potter said. "Our defense dominated a Michigan State commit and I had two sacks and four tackles for a loss. We clinched the GCC."
At 11-1, Mentor's next test comes against Lakewood St. Edward, who is coming off a 56-35 win over that same Euclid program last week.
"Everyone just has to be where they need to be," Potter said. "A lot of the time, teams key on me and other guys need to step up and make plays, and they’ve been doing that. [St. Edward] has a good running back and quarterback, and they run the ball a lot. So if we can get them in third-and-long situations, it’ll help."
After doing his thing Friday, Potter's also been watching his future teammates on Saturdays. He shared his thoughts on Ohio State's win over Sparty and through the rest of the year.
"The defense played really well and the offense ran the ball a lot better. They better move us up in the rankings," Potter said. "If we beat [Michigan] and look good in the Big Ten championship game, they're not going to leave us out [of the playoffs]."
RAKIM JARRETT SETS VISIT DATE
Just last week, the Buckeyes secured the commitment of their first wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class. Now, they're looking for more #BOOMs. After Jaxon Smith-Njigba committed on Nov. 3, Ohio State is hoping someone like Rakim Jarrett could be next.
Jarrett, a four-star wideout from St. John's College in Washington D.C., announced that he'd be taking a visit to Columbus on Nov. 24 when the Buckeyes host Michigan. If you're somehow still wondering, yes, that visitor list is growing by the minute.
Ohio State On The 24th !
— Rak (@RakimJarrett) November 11, 2018
At 6-foot, 182 pounds, Jarrett is ranked as the nation's sixth-best receiver in his class. And, for what it's worth, out of 10 crystal ball projections, all lean towards the Buckeyes.
FLEMING SHOWS OFF OHIO STATE SWAG
Speaking of big name wide receivers, Julian Fleming seems to be loving his relationship with Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and the rest of the Buckeyes.
It's always a good sign when the nation's top receiver in the 2020 class wears Buckeye gear ... especially during one of his own games. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound wideout flashed two Buckeye gloves while scoring four touchdowns in last week's 69-16 win over Troy.
Julian Fleming showed off a new pair of red and white Ohio State gloves as he hauled in two touchdowns on each side of the ball, carrying the Southern Columbia Tigers to a ...(FREE GAME STORY IN LINK)https://t.co/65WM1ZwKQm pic.twitter.com/braHffGdrs
— Adam Roberts (@RealAdamRoberts) November 11, 2018
However, he also told The Fourth Quarter's Adam Roberts after the game: "“You might see a couple teams popping up, you might see a couple different colors popping up. You can’t let anybody assume anything too quick.”
That's what a lot of people did concerning Fleming's recruitment. Out of Southern Columbia High School (Catawissa, Pa.), assumptions were made that the talented five-star prospect would just automatically pick Penn State. However, Ohio State has trended for Fleming recently. He visited the Buckeyes on Nov. 3, is expected to return on Nov. 24 and — just an observation — has a pinned tweet on his Twitter account of himself in full Buckeye gear.
BUCKEYES OFFER JAY WARD
Currently, the Buckeyes have three safeties in their '19 Dynasty recruiting class but zero bonafide cornerbacks. So could Colquitt County (Ga.) corner Jay Ward be the first?
ALL GLORY TO GOD ......Extremely Blessed and Honored, to receive a offer from The OHIO State University #GoBuckeyes @CCPackersFball @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Y0hj0T9xVD
— JAY WARD (@JWARD_4) November 9, 2018
Ohio State offered Ward this past Friday in an attempt to sway him to Columbus. He also has offers from LSU, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia, among others.
Ward is a three-star prospect, listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. He's ranked as Georgia's 92nd-best overall recruit and as the nation's 90th-best cornerback. In 11 games this season, he has four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
STEVENSON COMMITS TO OHIO STATE AS PWO
A Zach from Olentangy Orange High School has committed to Ohio State ... no, his last name is not Harrison. Zach Stevenson, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound guard, announced his commitment to the program this past Friday via Twitter.
Im incredibly excited to announce Ive officially committed to continue my athletic and academic career at THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/W69SdLXMlW
— Zach Stevenson (@Zsteve76) November 9, 2018
After committing, Stevenson told 247Sports, "I've been going to summer camps at Ohio State for years. I grew up a Buckeye. I felt like I had my best camp this year [in June]. I took a couple visits to Ohio State, one game and then last week. And now here I am. I'm very excited [to be going to Ohio State]."
