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.
Mekhail Sherman Narrows his list to two
Five-star Washington D.C. outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman announced on Twitter that he is deciding between Ohio State and Georgia when it comes to his commitment.
Its between Ohio State & Georgia fr. No interviews, & I appreciate the coaches for presenting me opportunities & the fan bases which came with them. Appreciate you all
— Mekhail Sherman (@JuicedUpK9) April 30, 2019
This announcement came just a few days after he finished his official visit in Columbus. He made his official visit in Athens the weekend before on April 19.
His visit to Ohio State ended quicker than it was planned, though, as some travel complications caused Sherman to leave early, as was reported by Lettermen Row.
Given the ending of his visit this past weekend, how much he and his family enjoy Georgia and his crystal ball leaning toward Georgia at 91 percent, it seems like Sherman will choose the Bulldogs, but he and Ohio State have had a good relationship for the majority of his recruitment. The Buckeyes offered him in January 2018.
While that relationship is likely complicating the decision a bit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sherman choose Georgia.
Kyle McCord Picks the Bucks
Philadelphia quarterback Kyle McCord announced Tuesday morning that he has committed to Ohio State.
#BuckeyeNation, Im coming for you.
— Kyle McCord (@kylemccord16) April 30, 2019
Committed to The Ohio State University. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/eLLCTOrxBX
The 2021 No. 8 quarterback had been high on Ohio State since before his visit for the spring game April 13, but the visit pushed him over the edge. He and his teammate, Marvin Harrison Jr., have Ohio State at the tops of their lists, and Harrison said, for him, it’s “not really close.” Obviously, it’s the same for McCord as well.
Harrison Jr. said that he and McCord are going to Clemson in the summer, where they are expecting offers. For Harrison, he said it would be unlikely for him to make a commitment before that visit. McCord had other plans.
“That’s one of my best friends on and off the field, and we both feel the same way about Ohio State,” McCord told Eleven Warriors before his visit April 13.
The commitment was huge for new head coach Ryan Day, whose specialty is the quarterback position. After Matthew Baldwin’s transfer, Ohio State was left with sophomore transfer Justin Fields, West Virginia grad transfer Chris Chugunov and walk-on Danny Vanatsky. Then, in one week, Day landed commitments from 2019 preferred walk-on JP Andrade, Kentucky transfer Gunnar Hoak and McCord to shore up the position for the short- and long-term.
McCord is just one year younger than 2020 commit Jack Miller and will enter the program during Fields’ last year of eligibility.
But while it’s Day who runs the staff, McCord said that he talks to quarterback coach Mike Yurcich the most of all the coaches he was in contact with, so much of the credit could also be given to Yurcich, who is entering his second FBS job after spending six years at Oklahoma State.
While neither quarterback is signed yet, the Buckeyes could be looking at a quarterback battle between Miller and McCord down the road in 2022, and the fact that the narrative has changed that quickly is impressive in itself.
Darrion Henry Releases his top-six
Cincinnati four-star defensive end Darrion Henry announced his top-six Monday night via Twitter. Of course, it included Ohio State.
TOP 6 pic.twitter.com/7EwgDXC7K8
— D Hen (@darrion_henry) April 29, 2019
Henry has long been expected to commit to Ohio State and is a third of the Cincinnati trio that includes five-star commit Paris Johnson Jr. and four-star linebacker Jaheim Thomas, who recently won the linebacker MVP award at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Cincinnati. Henry and Thomas announced on the same day last week that they would be releasing cut lists soon, but Thomas has not released his own yet.
This shows that the two friends and teammates might be separating themselves a bit, as it seemed like they were tied at the hip when they tweeted that they’d be releasing cut lists soon. It might not even be a situation where they would go to different schools but just to be viewed as two separate players themselves.
It very well could also be that Henry had a different graphic designer than Thomas too, though Thomas tweeted that he needs a graphic designer after Henry released his list.
Henry’s last visit during spring practice happened a day before Thomas’, when the linebacker finally got his Ohio State offer.
Releasing their lists at different times could be an effort to separate themselves as recruits, or it could mean nothing at all. But what the trio ultimately decides to do is fairly a mystery to everyone except themselves.
Two teams to note in Henry’s top-six are LSU and Georgia, two teams that have been said to be top schools for not only Thomas and Henry but also Johnson moving forward.
Terrence Lewis is a name to watch moving forward
For being a sophomore linebacker in Miami, Terrence Lewis is a monster. Rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 outside linebacker in the 2021 class and the No. 65 prospect overall, Lewis recorded 102 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception in 2018.
That performance has had a lot of teams noticing, as he has offers from Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Oregon and others, and he is expecting a visit from Ohio State this week as well.
“My coach told me that (Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington) was saying I remind him of Devin Bush and that he’s going to try to come down Monday to see me or sometime this week,” Lewis said. “I think he’s a great person from what it seems. I can’t wait to meet him in person myself.”
Lewis said he has been talking to Ohio State for about a week now and is really high on the program.
“My interest in Ohio State is high,” Lewis said. “I love that school and feel I could further my education and football abilities there.”
The No. 7 2021 Florida prospect said he has been receiving a lot of love from Texas A&M, Miami and Florida, and he has been able to take visits to Florida and Miami already but would like to get up to Ohio in the summer. He also received an offer from Penn State on Tuesday morning.
He isn’t the biggest linebacker in the country, standing at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, but what makes Leis different are his quick reads, fast first step and his overall speed from the linebacker spot. He said that would like to work on his stance more, to be lower going into the trenches.
