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.
Bucks offer 2022 Arizona commit
This summer, we broke down the elite group of five receivers that Ohio State was focused on the in the 2022 class. That list of players was led by five-stars Caleb Burton and Luther Burden and featured four-stars C.J. Williams, Kaleb Brown and Armani Winfield.
With one of those players (Burden) off the board to Oklahoma, we thought it may be a matter of time before the Buckeyes offered a fifth uncommitted receiver target in the cycle. But Brian Hartline and Co. gave us a slight surprise with the player they did extend an offer to.
Though we had believed Utah four-star Darrius Clemons – the nation’s No. 128 overall player and No. 16 receiver – could be in line to be the next 2022 receiver to get an offer, it was three-star Arizona commit Kyion Grayes who announced that Hartline had come calling with an offer on Tuesday night.
I am feeling grateful . After a conversation with @brianhartline I am so blessed and honored to receive an offer to Ohio state university pic.twitter.com/0BM4QymSNJ
— Kyion Grayes II (@KyiongrayesII) October 21, 2020
Grayes, a junior at Chandler (Arizona) High School, was ranked No. 521 overall, No. 68 at receiver and No. 6 in Arizona at the time of the announcement. Those rankings moved up, respectively, to No. 421 overall, No. 59 and No. 3 in Arizona on Wednesday afternoon’s rankings update via 247Sports (more on that update below).
Grayes is a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder who 247Sports analyst Blair Angulo projects as a Power 5 starter and compared to former UCLA and Arizona State receiver Devin Lucien:
Lean, narrow build with projectable length and room to add mass to frame. Well-rounded pass-catcher with a knack for getting open. Fluid route runner who sets up defenders to generate space. Instinctive and creative in possession. Shows great body control after the catch. Good burst off the line of scrimmage. Very good hands and coordinated catcher who can reel in the ball away from his body. Technician on underneath plays and can weave his way through traffic. Could continue to add speed and physicality to his game. Potential multi-year starter at Power Five level and upside to garner looks from NFL Draft scouts down the road.
In late August, Grayes told 247Sports’ Mike Luke that he was 100 percent solid with the Wildcats, as he is one their most important recruits and had been prioritized for a while.
"Oh I'm all in on Arizona,” Grayes said. “Kevin Sumlin has prioritized me early on and told me that they want to get guys like me and be able to compete at the highest of levels.
“He has put a ton of players into the league. He has a great camaraderie with his players and made me feel like family.”
Of course, with the Buckeyes now calling – adding to a list of just nine total offers thus far – his recruitment is likely to get a bigger spotlight and it could change things moving forward.
OSU offers 2022 OT out of IMG Academy
After having not offered any prospects in the 2022 class from Aug. 25-Oct. 9, the Buckeyes have now offered three recruits in the cycle over the past two weeks. First was tight end Oscar Delp on Oct. 10, then Graves on Tuesday night, and the Buckeyes dished out another to four-star IMG Academy (Florida) offensive lineman Tyler Booker on Tuesday night.
Very excited and blessed to have earned an offer from THE Ohio State University #GoBuckeyes @CoachStudOL @dzoloty @CoachBA1010 @ghegamin pic.twitter.com/lUTC7SXhrb
— TBook (@iamtylerbooker) October 21, 2020
Booker, who actually announced his offer about an hour before Graves, is the No. 91 overall player in the nation, the No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 8 prospect in Florida. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder holds offers from a litany of powerhouse and noteworthy programs. That includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and USC.
Andrew Ivins, who covers the Florida area as a 247Sports analyst, compared Booker to former Jaguars and Ravens offensive tackle Eugene Monroe and projects Booker as a second-round NFL draft pick:
A towering frame that is rather compact. Being recruited by a few schools to play defense, but viewed by most schools as an offensive lineman in college. A natural knee bender that likes to gain leverage before driving his legs. Has quick feet which allow him to get to the second level and engage defenders. Isn’t afraid to finish blocks and play through the whistle. Initial punch needs some work. Same with the kick step. Should be a starting tackle for a major program after two or three years of seasoning. Has a good chance to make the NFL like his uncle, Ulish Booker.
With offensive tackle projected to be one of Ohio State’s top positional need in the 2022 cycle (perhaps the most important positional need depending on whether or not the Buckeyes can land Tristan Leigh), the program is hoping it can get its foot in the door further with a player of Booker’s talent.
Buckeyes make a push for five-star CB
Mater Dei (California) five-star cornerback Domani Jackson is a player we have believed for a while is almost certainly going to stick around the Southern California area, likely headed to USC when it’s all said and done.
But the 2022 stud, the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 cornerback in America, is still receiving a major push from Kerry Coombs and Co.
Jackson told 247Sports’ Greg Biggins this week that he got on a Zoom call with the Buckeye staff, and it sounds like it was essentially a kitchen-sink approach:
"I had a zoom call this morning that was really eye-opening for me and my family," Jackson said. "Their whole staff was on there basically. From coach Day to all the position coaches and even the strength coaches were on there too.
"It wasn't a virtual tour or anything like that, it was more just my parents and I talking with all the different coaches and staff members and hearing about Ohio State and how much they have to offer. I already have a good relationship with those guys and they're recruiting me hard. I hear from someone from Ohio State every day and they have a lot to offer for sure."
In addition to a visit to Texas this weekend and Michigan in November, Ohio State is one of the programs Jackson is hoping to make an in-person visit to at some point soon. Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the Buckeyes’ propensity for putting cornerbacks into the NFL draft and helping develop them into successful pros is making an impression on Jackson:
"For starters, they have a great program, known for developing DBs and getting them to the League (NFL)," Jackson said. "They're one of those schools you can call DBU (Defensive Back University) for how many defensive backs and especially corners they send to the NFL as high round draft picks.
"I have a lot of family that lives in Ohio. I grew up a Michigan fan but actually lived in Ohio for a bit and I've always had a lot of respect for the Ohio State football program. I love coach Day, he's a great coach and I also really like coach Jackson and coach Coombs. Like I said, they're coming hard and I definitely going to try and get out there for a game at some point this season."
New 247Sports rankings
As alluded to earlier, the new composite rankings for the 2022 cycle have been released. Though there are not any major changes to five of the Buckeyes’ six commits, four-star outside linebacker C.J. Hicks saw his ranking get bumped up from No. 71 overall to No. 53 overall, and he remains the No. 3 OLB in America.
Header photo: Kyion Graves – Darryl Webb/USA Today
