The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s event with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
MAYDEN FINAL THOUGHTS
Even before today's surprise commitment from Norfolk, Virginia's Wayne Davis, I had officially predicted that Jared Mayden II was bound to pick Oregon tonight at The Opening. Why? Let's examine le facts.
(That is French for "the facts" in the event anyone was wondering.)
First, for a few months earlier this year, there was a noticeable gap in communication between Ohio State and Mayden, despite his assertion that they had remained in steady contact. Mayden last visited Columbus in November and for a while was favoring the Buckeyes but the ball was dropped at some point, whether intentionally – as other prospects moved up the Ohio State board – or unintentionally doesn't matter. The Buckeyes only got back into the mix about a month ago as the communication ramped back up a bit.
Second, Mayden was not/has not been among the handful of players focused on by the Ohio State recruits in attendance at The Opening, despite the rumor mill around him and the Buckeyes in the last week. In fact, last night I spoke to one Ohio State commitment and asked him if he'd been hearing anything on the ground in Oregon about Mayden's choice and he replied with "who is that?" Clearly the Texas cornerback was not making himself known to the Buckeye contingent in Beaverton, which he surely would have done had he been planning to commit to Ohio State.
Third, earlier today the Oregon 247 site reported that Mayden had informed the Oregon staff where he wanted to attend college and at least up to this point has not told the Buckeyes anything.
So, all signs point to Oregon, but Mayden is likely to take five official visits come the fall anyway, so what does it really all matter? All we know is that it means the Ducks are probably in the lead at the point.
WALKER TALKS ABOUT MISSING THE OPENING, PREPARING FOR OHIO STATE
Ohio State running back commitment Kareem Walker, the country's top-ranked running back, was supposed to be in Oregon for The Opening this week but a slight change in plans meant a missed week with Nike.
"I missed my flight," Walker told Eleven Warriors. "I don't have a phone right now, my screen went all black on me, so I couldn't contact anyone."
While missing the opportunity in Oregon is, at the very least, a bummer, Walker says he would not have been working out anyway as he recovers from a slightly tweaked ankle. He's also focusing a bit on the bigger picture as it pertains to his future.
"My ankle is going to be ok, but I wasn't going to camp," he said while leaving an ACT prep course. "I'll be ready for my preseason so it's nothing that I'm worried about. For me, missing the ACT classes would be a bigger deal than missing The Opening. Nike is going to send me the gear I'm supposed to get, so that's fine. Getting ready for college is big for me, I need to use the summer to prepare myself because I want to enroll in January."
Using the summer to get ready for college and a nagging ankle injury means you're not going to see Walker at Friday Night Lights, either.
"I won't make it (to Friday Night Lights)," Walker added. "I'm trying to get my coach to take me to Columbus this first week of their camp, to go see them practice and then come back to Jersey for my team's camp."
JAVON MCKINLEY SAYS BUCKEYES WILL GET OFFICIAL VISIT
We've talked about the names left on the wide receiver board at length, so when a new one pops up, it's always worth exploring. This week, it's Corona, California four-star Javon McKinley, who apparently not only is intent on visiting Columbus but already has his visit scheduled.
WR Javon McKinley has four OVs scheduled: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Tennessee. Likely UOVs to UCLA, USC. Said those are his top 6.
— Erik McKinney (@EMcKinneyESPN) July 7, 2015
McKinley, 6-foot-2 and 203-pounds, is thought by most to be a Notre Dame or Southern Cal "lean" but the Buckeyes are on the short list of schools he'd like to check out. Ohio State offered the country's 19th-ranked receiver in April.
THE OPENING UPDATES
A good portion of updates from The Opening can be found in this afternoon's update, but there's never a shortage of information coming out of an event like this. Let's dig in.
The full testing results from yesterday are posted and here's the pertinents:
- Demario McCall: 4.46 in the 40-yard-dash and a 34.9-inch vertical. He posted a 4.13 second time in the shuttle.
- Austin Mack, as we noted yesterday, posted a 4.5 in the 40 and measured in at 6-foot-1, 206-pounds.
- Jake Hausmann weighed in at 239-pounds and 6-foot-5. He injured his leg a bit at Ohio State two weeks ago and it was reflected in his 40-yard-dash time: 5.07 seconds. Hausmann's game isn't going to be the vertical threat game, so I wouldn't worry about that time at all.
- Washington, D.C. linebacker Aaron Hansford ran a blistering 4.47 in the 40-yard-dash.
- Donnie Corley clocked in at 4.67
- The buzz from Ohio State recruits in Oregon is still overwhelmingly positive on both Damar Hamlin and Jordan Fuller.
- Jonathon Cooper has been in the ear of Rashan Gary a lot this week and the two have been discussing a return trip to Ohio State together. I'm skeptical that happens, but the conversation is there.
- Lots of mixed reviews today on Tennessee commitment Jarrett Guarantano. The reports are that the arm strength is there and tangible but that he's got a ways to go with his accuracy and ability to "layer" the ball into the defense.
