The Hurry Up: Weekend Visitors, New 2018 Lineman Emerging, Bosa up for Player of the Year and More

By Jeremy Birmingham on October 9, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Watch Kareem Walker on ESPNU tonight at 8pm.
Kareem Walker
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The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s events with an ear on the ground for what’s next.


WEEKEND VISITOR UPDATES

It's homecoming weekend in Columbus and the Buckeyes are T-minus 18 hours from kicking off their first noon game of the season against the soon-to-be coachless Maryland Terrapins. As the turtles come to town, so too will recruits with Ohio State interest. While it's nearly impossible to list everyone the Buckeyes are expecting, here's a few of the key names thought to be heading to town this weekend.

2016 Buckeye commitments Tuf Borland and Jack Wohlabaugh will be on campus this weekend, but it's likely they'll be joined by a handful of other commits. These guys, especially local players like Jonathon Cooper, don't have to spend quite as much time planning their trips. Speaking of Wohlabaugh, Rivals.com analyst Marc Givler saw him live last weekend and had some tape of his performance against Akron Archbishop Hoban.

One of the fastest-rising 2017 prospects in the country, Ann Arbor's Antjuan Simmons, will be in Columbus. Simmons was offered by Ohio State about a week ago and in the last two weeks has added offers from 15 teams, including Michigan State, in that period. Simmons' tape reminds me of current Buckeye freshman Jerome Baker and he's becoming a hot commodity nationally, so getting him on campus early is a good thing for the Buckeyes. He could play linebacker or running back at the next level.

A newer name to the list for this weekend is Dorian Etheridge, another 2017 linebacker from Charleston, West Virginia. Etheridge is a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder who currently has an offer from Virginia Tech, West Virginia and a few others. 

2018 wide receiver Blue Smith, a standout 6-foot-5, 200-pounder from Wayne High School in Huber Heights will make his second visit to Ohio State in three weeks. As it stands, there's no offer for Smith, but the Buckeyes are really cranking up their interest and it wouldn't be a total surprise if they pulled the trigger sometime soon.

I tried last night to get confirmation from Euless, Texas defensive tackle Chris Daniels about his planned official visit to Ohio State this weekend but was unsuccessful. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Daniels won't make it to Columbus this weekend. If I'm right, the curious thing will be become whether or not it gets rescheduled.

BOSA UP FOR NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ohio State 2016 commitment Nick Bosa is one of a handful of players being listed by USA Today as a candidate for their Defensive Player of the Year award. 

From USA Today:

Nick Bosa

DE, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale
Has 15 solo tackles, with 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and one blocked kick and is leading a defense that allows only 66 yards a game on the ground.
On the plus side: He has an aggressive streak that opponents fear.
On the negative side: At 6-4, 265, he plays several spots for the Raiders. The question is where will he play in college?

Bosa is joined on the list by Rashan Gary, Shane Simmons, Ben Davis, Eli Huggins and Dexter Lawrence

CARMAN BECOMING PROSPECT TO WATCH

On Thursday, Michigan became the latest team to offer 2018 Ohio lineman Jack Carman, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound sophomore that is quickly moving up the recruiting boards of teams across the region. Michigan joined Vanderbilt, Toledo, Cincinnati and Iowa as recent offers for the Fairfield prospect.

According to Cincinnati.com, Ohio State has also begun sniffing around Carman and is beginning to express interest.

From Cincinnati.com:

Ohio State has interest in Fairfield 2018 offensive lineman Jack Carman Fairfield coach Jason Krause told Cincinnati.com last week that Carman (6-5, 255 pounds), a left tackle, has offers from UC and Toledo. Michigan State and Vanderbilt have shown interest.

Carman will likely visit Michigan in late November when they host Ohio State. Michigan has also already offered 2019 Akron Archbishop Hoban offensive lineman Nolan Rumler, so it appears as those they're working to build longterm relationships in the state and trying to make them before the Buckeyes do. 

WATCH WALKER

If you're so inclined, you can check out the country's top-ranked 2016 running back, Ohio State commit Kareem Walker, on ESPNU this evening at 8:00 p.m. 

Walker, who is planning to enroll early at Ohio State, has been committed to the Buckeyes since January 12th. He made multiple visits to other schools but has reaffirmed his commitment to Ohio State at each available turn, but rumors persist that Walker is still going to be checking out other schools when he has the time. In fact, there's been some rumblings this week that he will be visiting Michigan tomorrow as a handful of New Jersey prospects committed to the Wolverines are heading to Ann Arbor.

I was able to get confirmation and can say that yes, Walker is expected at Michigan on an official visit.

I also learned that he's told Ohio State recently that he does plan to make other visits and that Michigan was one of the schools he's mentioned, so this isn't entirely unexpected. I've been optimistic that Ohio State would keep Walker in the mix and I still am, but if he starts making a handful of other visits it is worth noting. 

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