The Hurry-Up: Ohio State Offers Quartet of Players in 2021 WR Christian Leary and OG Jared Wilson, 2022 RB Terrance Gibbs and WR Caleb Burton

By Zack Carpenter on March 25, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Terrance Gibbs
Terrance Gibbs (Andrew Ivins, 247Sports)
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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.

OSU offers four more

Christian Leary

Christian Leary, a 2021 wide receiver from Edgewater High School in Orlando, announced Tuesday that he has received a Buckeyes offer.

Leary, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior, is ranked No. 50 at receiver, No. 297 overall and No. 45 in the state of Florida for the class of 2021. However, Leary has nearly 40 offers, including from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.

Leary's ranking clearly does not match up with his offer sheet, and in 247Sports analyst Charles Power's scout analysis released a few days ago, Power has high praise for Leary, who runs a 4.56-second 40-yard dash and 4.31 shuttle and has listed times of 10.50 in the 100 meters and 21.92 in the 200 meters. Power wrote, in part:

One of the faster wide receivers on the track in the 2021 cycle and posted some sensational times in the 100 meters early in the spring prior to his senior season. ... Pulls away from defenders with ease once in the open field with a long, explosive stride. Dangerous in several facets and a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. Skilled in the open field, whether it's in catch and run situations, as a rusher or return man. Also has the play strength to run with some power. Shows ability to locate and track the ball as a downfield target. Looks like a multi-purpose, versatile offensive weapon at the next level.

Jared Wilson

With an over-the-phone offer on Tuesday, Kevin Wilson added to Ohio State's recent run of scholarship offers dished out to three-star offensive guard Jared Wilson.

Wilson, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound junior from West Forsyth (N.C.) High School, told Eleven Warriors that it is a committable offer from a staff that says like his “physicality and my athleticism, and off the field, they like the type of person I am.”

Wilson is the No. 21-ranked offensive guard in the 2021 class, and he says Ohio State's coaching sees him as a guard at the next level. He is ranked 384th overall nationally and 22nd in the Tar Heel State. Wilson is another player whose ranking does not match his offer sheet.

Wilson has been offered by Clemson, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and North Carolina, in addition to seven other offers.

“I’ve been in contact with (Ohio State) since about last August, and I talk to Coach (Greg Studrawa) and Coach Kevin Wilson every day through text,” Wilson said. “I had a visit set up for March 30, but that got cancelled, obviously. But once all this virus stuff clears up, I will definitely be up there.”

Terrance Gibbs

Less than 48 hours after landing Evan Pryor, his first running back in the 2021 class, Tony Alford was back at it again, looking toward the future by handing out an offer to 2022 running back Terrance Gibbs of The Master's Academy in Oviedo, Florida.

A basketball player and track athlete in addition to his prowess on the football field, Gibbs was ranked No. 172 overall, No. 20 at running back and No. 25 in the state of Florida when 247Sports' first players rankings of the 2022 class were released on Wednesday.

Ohio State's offer to Gibbs was his 17th overall. His offer sheet, which is likely to grow much more over the next year, already includes Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Nebraska, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Caleb Burton

Ohio State can be selective in its 2022 receiver recruiting following the 2020 haul and considering the position the Buckeyes are in with the 2021 class right how.

On Tuesday night, Ohio State offered just its second receiver in the 2022 class in Del Valle (Texas) High School's Caleb Burton, who last week was rated as the No. 6 receiver and No. 37 overall recruit in the country in 247Sports' initial 2022 player rankings.

“Coach Hartline offered on the phone,” Burton told Eleven Warriors shortly after announcing the offer. “My dad has been in contact with Ohio State for a little over a month, and today was the first time me and Brian talked through the phone. Hartline said he believed I was a very good kid who wants to be the best on and off the field. He said he loved my family and my dad and how we approach things.”

Until Tuesday, the only other sophomore receiver the Buckeyes had offered was Armani Winfield out of Texas, as Day traveled down to Winfield's Lewisville High School to offer him in January. Burton's offer came directly from Hartline, though, and Burton says that “really means a lot.”

“(The conversation) went very well,” Burton said. “We talked about my grades, how everything was going with this virus. Talked about how he was making time for his wide receivers and Face-Timing them to watch film while they’re not on campus.

“My impressions of him was I could tell he wanted to be the best at whatever he did. He’s a funny guy and cool to talk to. He loves the game of football, and he just wants what’s best for his team.”

As for that photo Hartline tweeted the other day about his franchise record-setting day with the Dolphins? That wasn't discussed, and neither was his NFL career. But he did take time to talk about how Ohio State can produce NFL-ready receivers.

“We dug into what Ohio State has to offer and how well they produce wide receivers after college,” Burton said. “He just said there’s no better place, and the offense they run is perfect for the WR core. All the people he has coached and sent to the leagues just shows he knows what to do.”

Top 10 list for Colorado tight end

Terrance Ferguson, the nation's 12th-ranked tight end and third-ranked prospect in Colorado, dropped a top-10 list on Wednesday, with Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington among the finalists.

A 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end from Heritage High School in Littleton, Colo., Ferguson is a four-star prospect with more than 25 offers who has yet to visit Columbus. His relationship with Tony Alford, who is the main recruiter in Colorado for the Buckeyes, is one main reason the Buckeyes remain high on his list despite having not been to campus, as Alford has been recruiting Ferguson since his sophomore season.

“I’ve talked to Coach Alford a lot over the phone and text and talked to him three other times in person. He’s a great guy,” Ferguson told Eleven Warriors in November. “Coach Alford said he likes the way I look, and I look good physically. He said I’m a high priority for them, and he thinks I’m one of the top tight ends in the nation.”

Michigan's commitment drought ends

For the first time since five-star quarterback J.J. McCarthy committed on May 11, Michigan has landed a commitment in the 2021 class.

Greg Crippen, the No. 11-ranked offensive guard in the country, committed to the Wolverines on Wednesday.

Crippen had been committed to Notre Dame since May 2019, but the Massachusetts native and IMG (Fla.) Academy standout decommitted on March 4. According to 247Sports' Steve Lorenz, the Wolverines are recruiting Crippen to play center. 

Crippen holds an Ohio State offer and visited for the Michigan State game in October.

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