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.
Jutahn McClain Reflects on His Ohio State Visit
Jutahn McClain, the No. 8 all-purpose back in the 2020 class, made a visit to Ohio State last week, just before he participated in The Opening Regional in Massillon, Ohio. Eleven Warriors was able to catch up with the Fairfield-native after he competed with Dublin all-purpose back Mike Drennen, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards and Akron standout DeaMonte Trayanum.
“It was really nice, knowing that there are other players out there like you,” McClain said. “Then we all came together to compete against the linebackers, like a unit or The Avengers type of stuff.”
McClain hadn’t visited Ohio State since 2018, but upon his return last week, McClain said he feels good about where he stands with the Buckeyes.
The three-star back was in talks with former Ohio State coach Taver Johnson before he took the assistant defensive backs job with the Oakland Raiders. Now, McClain, like Donovan Edwards, has been in contact with running backs coach Tony Alford.
“It’s business,” McClain said. “They come and go, so you have to connect with who you can while they’re here, as long as you can.”
McClain said during his visit, he was able to have conversations with coaches like Alford and head coach Ryan Day – coaches he hadn’t been as familiar with. Those conversations went well.
“They got a lot of new stuff since the last time I came, and I got to talk to Coach Day one-on-one,” McClain said. “We never really got a chance to talk. But then I got a chance to talk to Coach Alford. We had a really deep conversation. It was cool.”
McClain kind of fits the mold that Ohio State has been looking for in its running backs in the 2020 class. He can move out to the slot and be comfortable catching passes and working in space, but he can also carry the ball between the tackles if he adds some weight to his 180-pound frame.
McClain tightened up in the middle fo the one-on-one drills and was unable to finish Sunday, but he said he felt like her performed well overall, in the measurements beforehand and during the positional drills.
Blake Fisher Hopes to Get Back to Columbus
Indiana offensive tackle Blake Fisher has been an Ohio State target in the 2021 class for a while, but after Ben Davis High School tackle Dawand Jones signed with the Buckeyes in the Class of 2019, Ohio State hopes to add another Indianapolis tackle in Fisher.
“That’s my guy. He’s a good athlete,” Fisher said about Jones. “He’ll definitely succeed at Ohio State. We’ve talked, and he’s been trying to get me there all the time.”
Fisher did almost make a visit to Columbus this weekend, but a family matter prevented him from making the trip. He hopes to eventually visit Ohio State, maybe even this spring still.
He’s already made it to Columbus once, back when he attended the Ohio State summer camp in 2018. That’s when he caught the Buckeyes’ eyes.
“It was really my first time going up against studs like that,” Fisher said. “I performed okay, but I was really able to learn what Ohio State was about. Then they watched me throughout the season, liked what they saw and then delivered me an offer.”
Ohio State offensive tackle target Blake Fisher throws the DE to the ground in one-on-ones. pic.twitter.com/qtItD26kQq
— Taylor Lehman (@TaylorRLehman) March 31, 2019
Since then, Fisher has been in contact with Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who has experience recruiting the Indiana area from his time as head coach of Indiana, and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa.
Fisher is the No. 1 Indiana prospect int he 2021 class and was already up to par with the 2020 class at The Opening Regional in Massillon on Sunday.
“I wanted to see where I was at,” Fisher said. “I hadn’t had much football contact in a long time, so I wanted to come here and perform. I thought I did really good. My test numbers were okay, but it’s still early in the offseason. I still have time to improve those.”
Jordan Morant Releases Top-10
Four-star New Jersey safety Jordan Morant included Ohio State in his top-10 Wednesday morning. The No. 8 safety in the 2020 class, and one of Ohio State’s top targets at the position, Morant plans to visit Ohio State next weekend.
Top Ten (Recruitment Still Open) pic.twitter.com/l2mE7Eldq0
— Jordan Morant (@jordanmorantt) April 3, 2019
The No. 113 player overall also included Notre Dame, USC, LSU, Penn State, Miami, Clemson, Michigan, Texas A&M and Alabama. Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Morant totaled 96 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and 10 pass deflections.
