The Hurry Up: Buckeyes Commitment Visiting This Weekend, Daniels' Decision Date, Poaching the Terps and More

By Jeremy Birmingham on October 8, 2015 at 7:45 pm
Linebacker Tuf Borland will be back in Columbus this weekend.
Tuf Borland
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BORLAND PLANNING OHIO STATE VISITS

Ohio State 2016 commitment Tuf Borland will be on campus this weekend to once again check out his future home. Borland, a four-star linebacker from Illinois and a Wisconsin Badger legacy, actually plans on being in Columbus multiple times in the next month.

"I'll be in Columbus this weekend," Borland told Eleven Warriors. "Then, I'll be back in November for the games against Minnesota and Michigan State."

Borland and his Bolingbrook teammates are 3-3 on the season but, as we've discussed before, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder is off to an exceptional start. He's had three games with more than 20 tackles to his credit already. In July, Kyle Borland, who played linebacker at Wisconsin, talked to the The Herald-News about the expectations for his son.

“Tuf has put in a lot of work,” Kyle Borland said. “The coaches here do a great job with him, and he loves the game. It will be interesting to see how he fits in at Ohio State. I know this – he will compete.”

For his part, Borland is trying to focus on his team and not his gaudy numbers.

"I'm just trying to get better every week," Borland said. "I'm just taking it one game at a time."

DANIELS HAS DECISION DATE IN MIND

Earlier this week, Euless, Texas defensive tackle Chris Daniels told 11W that he'd be making his way to Columbus this weekend for his first official visit. The country's 17th-ranked defensive tackle, Daniels made an unofficial trip to Ohio State in August and, according to BleacherReport.com, he's got an decision date in mind.

Daniels is preparing for his upcoming official visits. He has one scheduled for Oklahoma on the weekend of Nov. 20. Ohio State will play Maryland on Saturday, and Texas A&M will host Alabama on Oct. 17 in a game that Daniels will keep a sharp eye on because of interest in both teams.

Look for a decision to come on Dec. 18, the day Daniels celebrates his 18th birthday. 

Daniels is one of a handful of defensive lineman still being evaluated by the Buckeyes and without question one of the country's most talented. As always, especially with official visitors from places far away from Ohio, there's a chance that things might not go off as planned, so it's worth paying attention if Daniels' visit actually transpires as planned. Whether he makes it this weekend or later in the year, Ohio State's need for defensive tackles keeps him as a name to watch.

MEYER REFUSED TO LET CAGE GET AWAY

Cincinnati (Winton Woods) 2017 defensive tackle Jerron Cage committed to Ohio State so quickly after his Buckeye offer this past summer that you'd almost certainly conclude he'd always wanted to don the scarlet and gray. According to an interview with Cleveland.com writer Ari Wasserman, that is not the case and in fact the Buckeyes were at one point playing from behind because Urban Meyer passed on his older brother.

From Cleveland.com:

"At first I didn't like Ohio State because they didn't offer Daniel," said Jerron, who was coincidentally wearing a Buckeyes football T-Shirt. "I was young, so I didn't really know. Daniel was known as the top defensive tackle in the state, but Ohio State didn't offer him? So at first, I was really iffy about Ohio State." 

Cage, the country's 14th-ranked defensive tackle in the 2017 class, visited Notre Dame last weekend to check out the Irish and support his brother. What is the pitch from Brian Kelly's team?

"They'll tell me to come down with Daniel or use Daniel in some type of way to think about reconsidering," Jerron said of Notre Dame. "Last game, they had me go to the locker room and talk to players who told me why I should switch."

The story by Wasserman is a good one, so check out the link.

MARYLAND COMMITMENTS WORTH A LOOK?

This morning, rumors from College Park, Maryland began to emerge that this weekend's road game at Ohio State will be the last as head coach of the Terrapins for Randy Edsall. If terminated, the Terrapins will begin a midseason search for a replacement, a decision that isn't entered lightly but may actually be the right decision in order to offset the recruiting collapse that normally accompanies a coaching change. Making a change now gives a new staff more time to get in place and allows the holdovers and the school to assuage any potential fears and doubts by commits who may be wavering.

Maryland currently has the Big Ten's ninth-ranked recruiting class and there's no doubt that schools from all over the Eastern seaboard and the Atlantic coast will line up to poach the talents that are currently aligned with the Terps. Who are the big names to watch for and will the Buckeyes make a run at any of these players?

The most recognizable name on the list for Maryland is of course quarterback Dwayne Haskins, Jr. At one point Haskins listed Ohio State as his favorite school, but the Buckeyes are not and won't be involved. He has been closely associated with a potential flip to Florida for months and a coaching change in Maryland is one that could speed up that process, but I don't think Haskins will flip, regardless. He was on Twitter today thinking out loud about a potential replacement for Edsall.

After Haskins, there are two names that could be worth watching with respect to the Buckeyes. Linebacker Keandre Jones from Olney, Maryland's Good Counsel High School had considered a visit to Columbus previously, but after talking to people close to the Buckeyes, I don't think they'll make much more than a cursory look. Jones' game is something Ohio State likes and they're on the prowl for another linebacker in 2016 but aren't sure Jones has all the other pieces in place for his future.

One of my favorite wide receivers in 2016 is DeMatha's DJ Turner, who is missing his senior season with a broken leg. Turner is another smaller receiver (5-foot-9) and may not fit what the Buckeyes are looking for to finish out their class since they're searching for a bigger, outside-type of pass-catcher.

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