The Hurry Up: Final Thoughts on National Signing Day, Ohio State Makes Cut for Top-Rated Linebacker and Sophomore Lineman Talks Offer

By Andrew Lind on February 2, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Thayer Munford
Thayer Munford
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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.

CLOSING THE BOOK

National Signing Day 2017 is in the books, as Ohio State signed 21 players from eight states — nine if you count the fact that safety Isaiah Pryor is originally from Georgia. Five of them are considered five-star prospects, 14 are four-stars and two are three-stars, collectively making up the highest per-player rating of all time.

But in the end, the day was nowhere as close to exciting as it could have been.

Ohio State struck out again at defensive tackle, with five-star Marvin Wilson heading to Florida State and four-star Jay Tufele to USC. The Buckeyes were in the conversation for much of the recruiting process, even considered in the top two for both until the last few weeks.

When it comes to Wilson, some believed his relationship with Ohio State commits Baron Browning and Jeffrey Okudah could swing things in the Buckeyes' favor. It was his in-home visit with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, however, that sealed the deal for the Seminoles.

“Jimbo came to my house and gave me the greatest pitch,” Wilson told ESPN's Sam Khan Jr. “We're going to be a family environment. He's going to take care of me on and off the field. We're going to do community service. We're going to do great things at Florida State and win national championships, be drafts and be good after football is over with. That's what he promised me, and I'm going to take him at his promise.”

Tufele, on the other hand, didn't even have an Ohio State hat on the table at his announcement ceremony. Once USC entered the conversation, any talk of him leaving his home state shifted away from the Buckeyes. The Trojans made a huge push during his official visit last month, and all but sealed the deal when they locked down Tufele's good friend Marlon Tuipulotu shortly thereafter.

Not all was lost for Ohio State, however, as Massillon Washington four-star offensive tackle Thayer Munford picked the Buckeyes over schools like Kentucky and Pittsburgh. It was a long time coming for Munford, who rebounded from eligibility, grade and weight issues throughout his high school career.

“[Offensive line coach] Greg Studrawa had him three or four times at camp,” head coach Urban Meyer said during his signing day press conference. “The line coach at Massillon actually was my center at Bowling Green and played for Studs. There was deep ties there, and Studs was the one. He would not let that die. He would not. He kept going, 'I want this guy. I want this guy.' We're not going to have room. 'We've got room.'”

With numbers a bit tight in the class, Ohio State wasn't sure to have room for Munford until late in the process. But once they reevaluated him in January and invited him on campus for an official visit, it was all but certain he'd be the final piece of Select '17.

“He checked off all the boxes and we went after him,” Meyer said.

TAKES THE CAKE

We saw a number of clever commitments on Wednesday, including a T-shirt troll, the Haka dance and a recruit even landing a helicopter inside his new school's stadium.

But not be outdone, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Bishop Sullivan five-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell used his own birthday cake to reveals his Top 11 schools: Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, USC and Virginia Tech.

"I included Ohio State because I feel like this is a school that can fully develop me, not only into a great football player, but a man," Mitchell told Eleven Warriors. "They have a great and experienced coaching staff, along with an excellent business program."

The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Mitchell is considered the top-rated linebacker and the No. 27 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He was on campus for the Nov. 26 double-overtime win over Michigan, and Meyer, wide receivers coach Zach Smith and linebackers coach Bill Davis have stayed in touch ever since.

"We just talk about football and everyday life," Mitchell said. "Great conversations at times."

Mitchell hopes to make it back to campus this spring.

ROW THE BOAT DOWN THE OLENTANGY

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Edina Senior sophomore offensive tackle Quinn Carroll has seen his recruitment take off in the last month, as he's earned offers from programs such as Arkansas, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA and Virginia Tech.

Ohio State offered, too, during his first ever visit for Junior Day this past weekend.

“It means the world to me,” Carroll told Eleven Warriors. “Their program is top notch and my views have definitely changed. I didn't know much about the program beforehand, but now I feel way more informed. I now understand why this program has been so unbelievably successful.”

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Carroll is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but is undoubtedly one of the top offensive line prospects in the Class of 2019. He comes from a long line of college athletes, as his dad, Jay, played tight end at Minnesota in the early 1980s and his brother, Collin, was a long snapper at Virginia Tech.

“I had a great time in Columbus and had an amazing time meeting all the coaches and staff,” Carroll said.

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