The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.
NICKNAME SUGGESTIONS?
Arguably the most highly coveted prospect to take in Ohio State's 77-10 win over Bowling Green was Huber Heights Wayne wide receiver L'Christian “Blue” Smith. The 6-foot-6, 205-pounder — who really needs a new nickname if he ends up in Columbus — came away impressed with the Buckeyes' passing attack.
“They looked good,” Smith told 247Sports ($). “They have a lot of weapons. The offense is really good.”
Smith, who is considered the third-best prospect in the state and the No. 82 overall player in the Class of 2018, will attend the game between Tennessee and Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. If all goes as planned, though, he'll return to Columbus for another visit when the Buckeyes take on Michigan on Nov. 26.
So too was 2018 4-star WR Blue Smith @bluesmith_ pic.twitter.com/33UKXEJR4J
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) September 4, 2016
A two-sport athlete, Smith has both scholarship offers from Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Michgan State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee for football and Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio State, Syracuse, Texas and UCLA for basketball.
Following the game, he spoke with head coach Urban Meyer and a couple basketball coaches.
“Almost as soon as I got to the [locker room], he called me back into his room in the stadium,” Smith said. “He asked me how I was doing [and] how my team is doing. That kind of thing.”
KERRY COOMBS, TECHNICIAN
I mentioned Sunday that Ohio State also hosted a pair of stud sophomores from Detroit, Michigan, Cass Tech in running back Jaren Mangham and cornerback Xavier Goldsmith, the latter of whom I caught up with following the game.
“It went great,” Goldsmith said. “I was happy I got to see coach [Kerry] Coombs again, and it was a great win.”
#GoBucks @JarenMangham pic.twitter.com/xme119qd1p
— Xavier Goldsmith (@XGoldsmith_) September 3, 2016
It almost goes without saying that Coombs has made a great impression on the 5-foot-8, 150-pound corner.
“We both have a great relationship,” he said. “He's a great person with a lot of energy. Our relationship means a lot.”
Though he's not yet ranked by any major recruiting websites, Goldsmith currently holds 10 offers from programs like Army West Point, Cincinnati, Colorado, Temple and Toledo. Clemson, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma and West Virginia have also checked in with Goldsmith, who said he's most interested in the Buckeyes, Buffaloes, Cornhuskers and Terrapins.
LE'VEON BELL 2.0
If not for an injury that forced him to miss nearly all of his sophomore and junior years, I have no doubt in my mind that Pickerington Central running back Morgan Ellison would have a litany of offers ... and may even be committed to Ohio State. Instead, the 6-foot, 217-pounder has only 10 or so games left in his career to show colleges what he has to offer.
As you all know by now, Ohio State is strapped with a limited number of scholarships remaining in the current recruiting cycle. And unless several other highly ranked prospects decide to play their college ball somewhere other than Columbus, it's unlikely Ellison gets an offer he so dearly covets.
Nevertheless, the Buckeyes hosted Ellison for Saturday's game, after which he told me he had a chance to speak with defensive coordinator Luke Fickell. But he, too, understands the numbers crunch.
That's why it's notable he recently took a trip to Michigan State, and will return to East Lansing when the Spartans take on Michigan on Oct. 29. Having seen his tape, Michigan State is going to get a steal when it decides to pull the trigger on Ellison.
Until that time, schools like Ball State, Miami, Ohio and Toledo continue to be the only schools to offer Ellison, though Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin have also shown interest.
Quite frankly, he'd look good in Scarlet and Gray. But the cost of doing business with four- and five-star recruits is letting a three-star gem slip right from under your nose.
HORNS DOWN
In late July, running back pledge J.K. Dobbins opened up about the possibility of Ohio State adding another running back to the current recruiting class — specifically five-star Cam Akers.
“From a competitive standpoint, it wouldn't impact my decision. But I would be taking other visits [if Akers] commits,” he said. There's a lot of other schools that feel I'm good enough and don't need another back, so if I fell in love with a place, then I'd possibly decommit and go there if its right for me.”
We haven't heard much from the La Grange, Texas, native in the months since; he's dealing with an ankle sprain that sidelined him after the first play from scrimmage of his season opener. But he told 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong ($) on Monday that he's not thinking about flipping his commitment.
“I have a home, and it's the Ohio State Buckeyes,” Dobbins said. “Texas looked really good though.”
The Longhorns, who knocked off 10th-ranked Notre Dame Sunday night, have long been considered one of the top landing spots for the 5-foot-9, 199-pounder if he were to reopen his recruitment.
