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.
*Reminder: The daily Hurry-Ups will be returning soon once we hire our new full-time recruiting writer. In the meantime, we'll have a few each week as the dead period comes to an end and we prepare for a wild month of June. We're also still monitoring all of the daily news over on the recruiting forum.
Quinn Ewers: Still Good
Ohio State's top-rated commitment is the No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class. Quinn Ewers will make his way to Columbus twice in June, as he will be a big part of what seems like an endless number of visitors on tap for Ryan Day and Co. There is a reason scouts rank Ewers so highly and consider the Texan the best quarterback prospect since Trevor Lawrence. His latest highlight tape should only bring more excitement for the future of Ohio State's quarterback room.
I will not pretend to be an expert on quarterback mechanics, but there is just something different about Ewers' throwing motion. He seems to change his arm angles regularly and has a bit of an odd release. That is not a bad thing by any means—some have compared his improvisation skills and varying arm angles to a certain quarterback in Kansas City. A player already developing that type of skill set could make the Buckeye quarterback room even more fun to watch for the next several years.
Also of note in the above highlights are a pair of pass-catchers. 2021 wideout Brady Boyd (No. 14) was a three-star prospect who enrolled at Minnesota this past January. Ewers' top target is now fellow 2022 prospect Landon Samson (No. 6 for the Dragons). He is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound receiver with offers from programs like Baylor and Nebraska. Samson will visit Ohio State in June and should be another guy to watch moving forward.
Busy Month for Luke Montgomery
Findlay's Luke Montgomery is the state of Ohio's third-best prospect for the Class of 2023. At 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, his trajectory could go a number of different directions—whether offensive tackle, defensive end, or perhaps even defensive tackle. Ohio State seems to prefer him on the offensive side of the ball, but a lot of that is going to depend on how he grows and develops over the next two seasons. He has received offers from all over the country, and June is going to be a wild month for the Montgomery family.
2023 prospect Luke Montgomery @lukeMonty8 going to visit quite a few schools in June. List is below
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) May 20, 2021
June 1 - Ohio State
10 - Michigan
11 - Tenn
12 - Georgia
13 - Auburn
14- Alabama
15 - Clemson
19 - Oklahoma
22 - Ok State
26 - Notre Dame
July 25 - Penn State
That is truly one of the busiest itineraries I have seen for a recruit, especially one that still has two years of high school remaining. Montgomery is clearly doing his research before making any sort of decision, and a commitment is not necessarily expected to go down anytime soon. Ohio State was immediately considered the favorite after offering in February, and the Findlay native said he plans to be an active recruiter for whichever school he chooses.
LJ Targeting Another 2022 Edge Rusher
Jack Sawyer is already making his presence felt. J.T. Tuimoloau is finally going to take some visits in June before deciding on a school. We also have already identified the names to know at defensive end for the 2022 class.
The top names on the board include Texas's Omari Abor, Philly's Enai White, and a pair of Florida pass rushers in Kenyatta Jackson and Marvin Jones Jr. In addition to those four, we now have another name to add to the list—and this one resides in Larry Johnson's old stomping grounds.
Maryland's Dani Dennis-Sutton is a 6-foot-5, 250-pound edge rusher currently pegged to Penn State by those most familiar. However, the Nittany Lions have to be feeling a bit of heat right now, as the nation's fifth-best edge rusher also has visits set up with Alabama and Georgia. Now, Larry Johnson has officially entered the discussion as well. It may be a little bit too late here with the Ohio State offer just coming last week, but if Dennis-Sutton makes it to Columbus this summer, anything is possible.
It sure seems like his best relationships are with PSU, but lately the Nittany Lions have had a rough few years on the trail. Fortunes may be changing in Happy Valley, as James Franklin is in a nice spot for 2022 with 10 commitments already in the fold. That class currently ranks second in the Big Ten and No. 6 nationally.
New Tight End Offer Out West
The Buckeyes are essentially done with 2022 tight end recruiting, as Bennett Christian and Benji Gosnell hopped on board early in the process. Ryan Day has done a heck of a job in the state of California, and the latest tight end offer just went out to Folsom's Walker Lyons. It has been a busy few weeks for the 6-foot-4.5, 230-pounder. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma are among the teams that have come calling of late.
WOW!!! Beyond blessed to say that after a great conversation with @ryandaytime and @OSUCoachKDub I have received an offer from THEE Ohio State University!! #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/NBzpaxfs9c
— WALKER LYONS (@walkerly0ns) May 17, 2021
As a sophomore, Lyons caught six touchdowns while playing in the Sacramento suburbs. A number of Pac 12 programs—along with Oklahoma and Texas—appear to be the early contenders. The Buckeyes now seem to be a serious option as well, and Lyons is hoping to make it to campus sometime this summer. He became the fifth 2023 tight end to earn an Ohio State offer.
Buckeyes Add Preferred Walk-On at Wideout
Ohio State's wide receiver room is the best in America, but we like to acknowledge the walk-ons that are joining the program as well. It was on Wednesday when Cincinnati's Joop Mitchell announced that he was accepting a walk-on offer to play for the Buckeyes.
I am excited to announce that I will be accepting a Preferred Walk-On offer to play football at The Ohio State University.
— Joop Mitchell (@JoopMitchell) May 19, 2021
Thank you to my Wyoming Cowboy coaches, teammates and my family for everything you have done to help make this possible.
Go Bucks! @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/odwZ2hrcT8
A member of the 2021 class, Mitchell was unrated by 247 Sports and listed as a cornerback. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, he caught 29 passes for 598 yards and six scores last season. He recorded 35 tackles and picked off three passes on the other side of the ball. His Wyoming High School team went 10-1 in 2020 with the lone loss coming against Van Wert in the state semifinal. It was the program's fifth-straight undefeated regular season.
