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.
Jager Burton wasn't expecting an Ohio State offer already
Kentucky offensive tackle Jager Burton didn’t think he was going to get an offer equal to an Ohio State offer until later in his recruiting process. He had received offers from Duke, Kentucky, Louisville and others, but a top Power Five program offering him this early in the 2021 cycle didn’t seem to line up with the path that his teammate, Clemson four-star offensive tackle commit Walker Parks, took.
But last week, his head coach pulled him into his office to give him the news of his Ohio State offer.
“He sat me down and told me about how all my hard work is being noticed and that The Ohio State University was going to offer me,” Burton told Eleven Warriors. “I was in shock about it almost all day.”
Ohio State had made it down to Frederick Douglass High School in Lexington a few times since Burton has been recruited. The Buckeyes wanted to see both Burton (No. 10 2021 offensive guard) and Parks (No. 18 2020 offensive tackle) on their trips, and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and special teams coordinator/co-secondary coach Matt Barnes stayed in contact with the school since then.
Burton said the offer wasn’t necessarily a dream offer but that Ohio State is certainly an interest of his.
“It’s a surreal feeling because of how big a program Ohio State is,” Burton said. “And that they have the opportunity every year to win the national championship means a ton to me.”
Ohio State likes the fact that Burton has good grades and that he can work in open space, the lineman said. They also told him that they like his knowledge of the game, and he believes programs appreciate his ability to block the run, make plays down the field and his athleticism at 6-foot-3, 271 pounds.
Emeka Megwa appreciates Ohio State's coaching staff
Texas 2022 running back Emeka Megwa believes Ohio State could be a good fit for him. That’s largely thanks to the type of coach that Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford is.
“My coach told me their running back coach is a great guy, so I believe him,” Megwa told Eleven Warriors.
Megwa has seen his recruitment explode in recent weeks, receiving offers from schools like LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, Nebraska and Arkansas. He also received one from Ohio State on May 7.
Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich have been in contact with Megwa and his coach at Nolan Catholic High School.
The freshman served mostly as a back-up in his first season, but he carried the ball 86 times for 576 yards and four touchdowns to kick off what will surely be a successful high school career.
Julian Fleming announces commitment date
No. 1 2020 wide receiver Julian Fleming announced via Twitter that he will be committing on May 31. Included in the tweet was a new top-five, after Fleming removed Oregon, which was included in his most recent top-six.
The schools he will choose between are Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Alabama and Clemson.
May 31... pic.twitter.com/wOnPtFALcL
— 0J4 (@julian_040) May 10, 2019
Fleming’s last visit to Ohio State was March 23, and he took an official visit to Alabama on April 12 and has oe scheduled for May 31, the same day he’s planning to commit. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s planning on committing to Georgia, though. His visit could be rescheduled, or he could just want one last look at Georgia.
Most lean toward Fleming choosing the Buckeyes, which would be a big victory for Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and head coach Ryan Day. The sudden predictions of Marcus Rosemy landing in Athens also supports that feeling as well. It would be unlikely for Fleming and Rosemy to land in the same spot, though Hartline is giving it his best shot.
J.J. McCarthy commits to Michigan
The No. 2 quarterback in the 2021 class committed to Michigan on Saturday. J.J. McCarthy, who was extremely interested in Ohio State heading into April, announced his decision via Twitter.
In his conversations with Eleven Warriors after the March 23 Student Appreciation Day visit, McCarthy was enthusiastic about his interest in Ohio State, explaining that he “loved” Ohio State, liked where he stood with Ryan Day and was hoping to get back to Columbus “very soon.”
But because he committed to Michigan doesn't mean that those feelings changed necessarily. The drawbacks from having close relationships with several top quarterbacks in one class means to pick one of them, a team is turning away the others.
Ohio State was close with McCarthy, Miller Moss, Drake Maye, Jake Garcia, Carlos Del Rio and, of course, Kyle McCord, who committed to Ohio State at the end of April. Those quarterbacks were all rated in the top-12 of the 2021 class by 247Sports.
Ohio State believes that McCord is its guy, and because his rating is No. 8 versus McCarthy’s No. 2 doesn’t mean one or the other is better. Most quarterback decisions are about fit. A quarterback clearly needs an arm, good technique, a solid frame and knowledge of the game, but the subtleties of personality and connections with Day and quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich have much more to do with these decisions than ratings and high school performances.
McCarthy led his Nazareth team to an Illinois state title as a sophomore, like McCord did with his St. Joseph’s Prep team. Choosing the teams they did will pit these two against each other for most of their careers for sure, but they will likely both be successful at the next level.
It will make for a good McRival when they hit the starting ranks.
Also, Ohio State 2021 commit Jack Sawyer had something to say about it on Twitter too.
Well see about that... https://t.co/61WvxgVVdV
— Jack Sawyer (@jacksawyer40) May 12, 2019
