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.
LAWRENCE SEES BUCKEYES FOR THE LAST TIME BEFORE DECISION DAY
The Buckeyes' months-long chase for Rashard Lawrence is drawing to its end on Friday–the five-star makes his college choice that morning–and Tuesday night Ohio State is taking their final swing for the Monroe, Louisiana, star.
Last week, Larry Johnson Sr. visited Lawrence as the recruiting dead period ended and Tuesday Urban Meyer, Johnson and Greg Schiano converged on Monroe, Pop. 49,761, and laid out their plan one more time for Lawrence, the country's 20th-ranked prospect. The Buckeyes arrived at Neville High School Tuesday afternoon and will the evening at home with Lawrence and his family. Lawrence made his official visit to Ohio State in October.
As we addressed here in the last few weeks, the odds are in the favor of LSU on Friday, but Ohio State has been a much bigger player in this recruitment than anyone has acknowledged until recently. He made an official visit to LSU this past weekend, a trip that those close to the Tigers are saying was the deal-sealer in his recruitment, but to be sure Les Miles and LSU will visit him at home Wednesday. Then, it's likely two days of radio silence on Lawrence, who has played his recruitment closer to the vest than most.
With a decision looming, teachers at Neville High School got into the recruiting game Tuesday morning.
Game on Man I love my teachers pic.twitter.com/ohLr2FteY7
— Rashard Lawrence (@Rashard_99) January 19, 2016
BUCKEYES OFFER 2018 QUARTERBACK
You need a quarterback in every single recruiting class.
Monday, the Buckeyes sealed up their 2016 quarterback recruiting class with the addition of Dwayne Haskins and 2017 prospect Danny Clark has been committed since December....of 2013. So, check and check, right?
Naturally, the focus now is to move on and find their guy for 2018 and Tuesday they made their first move to achieving that end when they offered Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, star Philip Jurkovec, a 6-foot-5, 190-pounder regarded by many as the country's best sophomore quarterback.
Jurkovec, from Pine-Richland High School, has scholarships on the table from Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, UCLA, Pittsburgh and others among his now 10 offers. As a sophomore, the country's 25th-ranked 2018 prospect threw for over 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns against only four interceptions. He also rushed for 1,250 yards and 11 scores.
To save you the trip to www.google.com/maps, Gibsonia is northeast of Pittsburgh.
ANTJUAN SIMMONS INCLUDES BUCKEYES IN TOP 11
If you're a fan of linebackers like Jerome Baker and Keandre Jones, you might want to get familiar with Ann Arbor (Pioneer) 2017 star Antjuan Simmons.
On Tuesday Simmons, the country's 24th-ranked outside linebacker (who holds 35 scholarship offers, including Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and others) released his current top-11 schools and the Buckeyes, thanks in part to the recruiting efforts of Kerry Coombs, are on the list.
Top 11!! pic.twitter.com/hdDE2YlcSM
— antjuan simmons (@_antjuan_) January 18, 2016
While Ohio State's inclusion on the list is certainly worth noting, Michigan not being included may be a bigger storyline, at least right now. It's obviously very early in the process, but for the Wolverines, who offered in November, to be absent from his list underscores how important it is to establish relationships with recruits early.
"They've done a really good job at making me feel welcomed into their program by establishing bonds with me and my family," Simmons told 11W when asked what put the Buckeyes on the list. "I talk to the Ohio state coaches all the time and whenever it's a recruiting period they make it a priority to come in an see me no matter what. They always been straight up with me from the start. (First) it was 'OK we know who you are come down for camp,' and I did well at the camp and it's just been a growing relationship since then. I have great relationships with all the coaches and I felt very comfortable there."
Simmons visited Ohio State twice this past season and saw Buckeyes' coaches at Pioneer High School two times in December as the Scarlet and Gray attempt to make him a priority in 2017.
B1G SWING FOR PENN STATE, IOWA
Lost in the madness of Ohio State's big recruiting weekend was some pretty big news for two other Big Ten schools, although in two different classes.
Penn State, who had been fighting to hold on to four-star running back Miles Sanders for the last few months with Pitt and lately Michigan State, were informed that the country's top-ranked back was reaffirming his pledge with the Nittany Lions.
#DaPride16 pic.twitter.com/nyHP542GkY
— iles Sanders (@BoobieMiles_4) January 17, 2016
Sanders had an official visit to Michigan State scheduled but will not take that visit. Adding the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Sanders to the backfield with star freshman Saquon Barkley gives James Franklin a very formidable duo for the next few years.
In the 2017 class, it was Iowa who landed a huge commitment from five-star defensive end AJ Epenesa, a Hawkeye legacy from Edwardsville, Illinois.
It's a great day to be a Hawkeye!! #LetsGoHawks pic.twitter.com/rhgTNM74nf
— AJ Epenesa (@ajepenesa24) January 17, 2016
Epenesa, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end, is ranked as the country's best in the 2017 class and had an early Ohio State offer.
