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.
Reid Carrico to Visit Ohio State
Ironton High School is a ground-and-pound football team with a student body of around 400 students in Ironton, Ohio, and sophomore Reid Carrico is at the heart of what the Fighting Tigers do.
The running back and linebacker is the biggest force on the team, and what head coach Trevon Pendelton and his staff like to do is turn around and hand the ball to Carrico up the middle of the line. On defense, teams blatantly attempt to avoid the edge of the line he’s rushing in from.
There are some obvious concerns with a player from a league like Carrico is from, though, and that is how he performs against tougher competition. Ironton went 6-5 during Carrico’s sophomore season in 2018 and was ousted in the first round of postseason play. That can be a concern for Power 5 programs, so at the moment, Carrico has two offers fromOhio and Marshall, which is just a half-hour from Carrico’s hometown.
Carrico has been involved in fluid conversations with Big Ten programs and announced his spring visit schedule, including an Ohio State visit April 3. Other schools included were Michigan State, Iowa State, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
Spring Visit Schedule pic.twitter.com/bU0sR1Wl27
— Reid Carrico (@CarricoReid) March 19, 2019
“I don’t know if they have an edge or not because I want to play at the highest level possible,” Carrico said about Marshall being the first school to offer him. “But I do like every coach on Marshall’s staff. I haven’t had a chance to see all the schools and the staffs that I’ve been talking to. It was easy to get to know Marshall’s staff because I visited twice because they’re so close.”
Carrico has been in talks with Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington for outside linebacker, where he said he feels the most comfortable on the field.
“Coach Washington is an experienced, straight-shooting guy who’s looking for the best linebackers in the country and wants to get to know all the recruits to ensure that OSU will be a home away from home,” Carrico said.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound athlete said he expects to experience a tradition of winning when he visits Ohio State and is looking for a program with passionate fans and a mentality that matches his own.
The only connection to Ohio State that Carrico has, he said, is that some of his family members attended college there. Other than that, he’s followed the Buckeyes’ football program since he was a child.
“An offer from Ohio State would mean a lot to me,” Carrico said. “Obviously, they’re a national power, and I’ve had family members go there, and I’ve followed their program since I was a little guy.”
Until he can get that offer, Carrico said he hopes to continue to improve his speed, explosiveness and his understanding of the X’s and O’s on offense and defense.
Lathan Ransom Cuts Offer List in Half
Four-star Arizona safety Lathan Ransom announced Thursday on Twitter that he is focusing on 14 schools out of his 28 offers, and Ohio State was included in those 14.
Dreamed of times like this #Dream14 pic.twitter.com/Sa6hQ8wHlV
— Lathan Ransom (@L8thanRansom) March 21, 2019
Ransom is the No. 4 safety in the country, and with a frame of 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Ransom is one of the top defensive playmakers in the 2020 class. He also attends the same high school, Salpointe Catholic, as five-star running back Bijan Robinson, who also has interest in the Buckeyes.
Ransom visited Columbus on Feb. 24 and left impressed. He is one of Ohio State’s top targets in the 2020 class.
Recruits making visits
Beaux Collins, the No. 10 wideout in the 2021 class, arrived Friday in Columbus for his visit to Ohio State this weekend. Collins received an offer from Ohio State Dec. 28, but everywhere else he goes, Collins has impressed. He received an offer from Michigan on Wednesday after his visit. He was also at Notre Dame on Thursday.
The No. 1 wideout in the 2020 class, Julian Fleming, also tweeted that he is in Columbus for the weekend as well.
Five-star Ohio State commit Paris Johnson Jr. is on another group visit with Cincinnati four-star prospects Jaheim Thomas and Darrion Henry. The trio is currently in Tuscaloosa visiting Alabama. They were at Tennessee, Georgia and Georgia Tech last weekend. Henry also announced that he’d be at LSU this weekend as well.
Roll Tide. @CoachYeah pic.twitter.com/2fzT6TK6ws
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) March 22, 2019
Thomas, who is the only prospect of the three who does not have an Ohio State offer, received an Alabama offer after the visit. Henry also received an offer from Alabama, but Johnson Jr. already has one.
Four-star offensive tackle Zak Zinter was in Notre Dame on Thursday. He will be in Columbus on March 27. The No. 9 wide receiver in the 2020 class, Jalen McMillan, was in Oklahoma on Wednesday as well. He has expressed interest in Ohio State after receiving an offer Feb. 14.
