The Hurry Up: Marvin Wilson's Top Ten, New Offers, Updates on Hines' Visit and More

By Jeremy Birmingham on June 12, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Anthony Hines III with Urban Meyer and Luke Fickell
Anthony Hines III (middle)
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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.

HINES VISIT AND THE LINEBACKER PICTURE

The weekend visit for Plano, Texas linebacker Anthony Hines III is over and the Buckeyes feel they've made a big move according to sources close to Ohio State.

"Things couldn't have gone better," the source said. "He got to spend a lot of time with Raekwon (McMillan) and see how he can fit into the defense and the program overall. I don't want to say we're out in front or anything, but we're right there."

The country's top-ranked inside linebacker, Hines' increased interest in the Buckeyes could place the Ohio State staff in an interesting position. They've got a commitment from Antjuan Simmons who will certainly line up at linebacker and Brendon White, who is likely to as well, but now Hines enters a discussion that at one point seemed to center on another Texas star, Baron Browning. Browning visited Ohio State last month and is scheduled to return with his family in July for Friday Night Lights and he has been telling all the right people all the right things about his current intentions. An upcoming visit to Michigan – his brother played for Jim Harbaugh at Stanford – could muddle that picture a bit, however. 

If Hines were to "jump" first, Ohio State may have a tough decision to make. He's a pure inside linebacker – and that's going to be a position that is vacant after this upcoming season if Raekwon McMillan leaves for the NFL as expected – but does that move him ahead of Browning in the coaching staff's eyes? Would they be able to bring them both in if they had the chance? 

MARVIN WILSON'S TOP TEN AND HIS UPCOMING VISIT TO OHIO STATE

As the country's top-ranked defensive tackle, Texas' Marvin Wilson, was dominating the competition in the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta he was also putting together his top 10 list.

Ohio State, who offered Wilson in March, made the list alongside a handful of the country's top programs.

Wilson will visit Ohio State this upcoming weekend and after talking to a few sources Saturday at the Buckeyes' one-day camp, it's easy to see there's a quiet optimism among the Scarlet and Gray regarding their chances.

"Don't ever underestimate what (Larry Johnson) is capable of doing when it comes to recruiting," a source said. "He's not coming right out and saying 'we can get him' but they know how important this visit is and it's a great chance for Wilson to see why Ohio State is putting out all those draft picks. He's paying attention for sure."

The Buckeyes have two commitments from defensive tackles already for 2017 but are aggressively pursuing Wilson and a few others in the hopes of adding a third big-timer at the position.

OKLAHOMA 2018 PROSPECT EARNS OFFER FOLLOWING CAMP VISIT

Ohio State hosted many prospects last week during their three-day camp session, including Owasso, Oklahoma, 2018 safety Joshua Proctor. The country's third-ranked safety in 2018 and 34th-ranked overall prospect, Proctor was one of a handful of standouts in Columbus and earned an Ohio State offer after his visit.

With early offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska, Proctor's recruitment is just getting underway but with a lofty national ranking and now a Buckeye offer, you can expect him to emerge nationally as a hot name this summer.


The Owasso High School safety is 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, and with so many offers coming his way, the chance to spend three days in Columbus this early in his process provides Ohio State an interesting chance to build what will be a vital relationship if they hope to steal him from his home-state Sooners.

CALIFORNIA RISING STAR DOES TOO

Another of the country's top 2018 stars, San Jose, California's Maurice Washington, earned an offer from Ohio State following his three-day visit and camp session with the Buckeyes.

Washington is an early four-star prospect but the Ohio State offer is his first. He impressed the staff of the Scarlet and Gray with his versatility out of the backfield, showcasing competency catching the ball out of the backfield as well as exceptional elusiveness in space. 


As a sophomore, Washington ran for 1,827 yards and 29 touchdowns at The King’s Academy; he will play his junior season at Oak Grove High School. He is the country's 168th-ranked prospect in the 2018 class and the ninth-ranked running back, though the Buckeyes see him as more of a slot receiver type as opposed to a pure tailback.

MORE ON POTENTIAL 2018 TIGHT END OFFER ANTHONY TORRES

One of the players mentioned in this morning's one-day camp report, South Bend, Indiana, 2018 tight end Anthony Torres, is a name that really bears watching over the next few months. 

Although he's got no offers yet, Torres was heavily focused on by the Ohio State staff Saturday afternoon and if not for that, he likely would've garnered offers from a few of the MAC schools in attendance but they backed out when it became clear he was high on the Buckeyes' list.

Torres grew up down the street from Ohio State assistant Tony Alford – and was friends with Alford's son – before the Buckeyes' running back coach took the job in Columbus and Alford helped get the ball rolling on Torres meeting with Ed Warinner and Urban Meyer yesterday afternoon. 

In the next few weeks, Torres will visit Michigan and Michigan State but ultimately the biggest "threat" Ohio State could face here would be Notre Dame. His brother, Austin, is a senior forward for the Irish' basketball program and it's tough to beat Brian Kelly's team for a tight end, especially one from South Bend. Urban Meyer asked his mother if it was "worth it" for the Buckeyes to try and get involved in his recruitment and Ohio State decided it would be, so let's see what happens here.

He's likely to return to Columbus for Friday Night Lights in July and it'd be a surprise if he didn't have an offer by the time that night is over.

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