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.
A "BLUE" CHRISTMAS IN JULY?
A little over two weeks ago, Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith was in Huber Heights to see Wayne four-star wideout L'Christian “Blue” Smith. The visit came on the heels of L'Christian's one-on-one sit down with head coach Urban Meyer, and some close to the program felt he may commit to the Buckeyes that day or soon thereafter.
However, coaches from schools such as Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas also stopped by — Zach Smith and Wolverines' passing game coordinator Pep Hamilton reportedly had lunch together afterward, too. That feeling subsided as a result, and it seemed as if we would not find out L'Christian's destination until this fall.
However, Smith tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that a decision will come sometime next month — though he interestingly referenced pushing it back to July as if he already had a date in mind.
Pushing my commitment back to July....decisions....decisions..!
— Blue (@bluesmith_) June 6, 2017
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Smith is considered the fourth-best Ohioan and No. 122 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he's hauled in 97 receptions for 2,047 yards and 26 touchdowns in his two-year varsity career. He recently included Ohio State in his Top 10 alongside Alabama, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee, though he may be revealing a Top 5 later this evening.
As mentioned, the Buckeyes are the overwhelming favorite to land his pledge thanks to the aforementioned conversation with Meyer. There has been a lot of talk about Smith playing tight end at the next level — which is why the Wildcats were able to make significant strides in his recruitment. But Meyer put that narrative to rest by explaining where the staff sees him fit into the class and where he is on their list of priorities.
For that reason, it would be a complete surprise if Smith picked any school other than Ohio State. He is expected to attend Ohio State's one-day camp on June 17, which very well may be his last trip to Columbus before making a decision. If Smith doesn't make a decision in July, he may do so when Wayne travels to Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, for a nationally televised game in late September.
WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH
It once was only a matter of time before Tucker, Georgia, three-star linebacker Michael Harris committed to Ohio State, all he needed was the necessary test scores. However, thhe Buckeyes have since landed a pair of four-star linebackers in Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant and remain in the hunt for four-star Solomon Tuliaupupu, thus putting Harris in a place of uncertainty.
The 6-fooot-2, 213-pound Harris is considered the 12th-best inside linebacker and No. 250 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he recorded 122 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss and five pass break ups on his way to being named the Region 4-AAAAAA Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Though he's originally from Springfield, Harris hasn't visited Ohio State this spring. He plans to attend the above-mentioned one-day camp on June 17, but took third unofficial trip to Auburn this past weekend, which has things trending toward the Tigers.
“[The Buckeyes have] been my heart since I was a youngin'. I’m looking at them first regardless,” Harris told SEC Country. “I’m going to be looking to see if they have the same energy as the way they text me. They always update me with new stuff. They send me videos. Coach Meyer’s always telling me that I’m his type of guy. I’m a linebacker he needs. When I get up there on campus, I’ll see if they actually show me that love that they want me and [that he is] a part of their family alread. But if they don’t have that type of vibe or that link with me, it’s going to be a different look for other schools.”
If Harris leaves Columbus without committing, the chances of him returning will be slim to none.
USE IT AS MOTIVATION, KID
We mentioned in last night's edition of The Hurry Up how Ohio State quarterback commit Emory Jones was not invited to The Opening Finals despite being considered the top overall performer on Day 1 of The Elite 11 Finals this past weekend.
“[He] would unleash an elite-level throw, only to follow it by short hopping his receiver,” 247Sports' Luke Stampini said. “This weekend, Jones came out on fire during day one, but slowly saw his level of play fall off through the week. His consistency was significantly better than his previous performances this spring, but still disappointing he couldn’t keep up his level of play from day one the following two outings.”
Scout.com released highlights from the three-day camp on Tuesday morning, and you can see a little bit of the inconsistencies referenced. Though his arm looks to be fully healed from a shoulder injury he suffered last October, Jones overthrows a receiver on one route and his wideouts dropped several other passes — though it's hard to fault him for that.
Elite 11 Finals: Ohio State Quarterback Commit Emory Jones in Action https://t.co/hLXDh6O6bh https://t.co/P8oxzJcicU
— Kevin Wade (@KwadeSays) June 6, 2017
To deviate a little bit, one of the 12 quarterbacks to be invited to The Opening later this month was uncommitted four-star Tanner McKee, who didn't participate in Sunday's events, citing his LDS faith. McKee was reportedly among the most accurate quarterbacks during the first two days, so don't get too riled up in thinking he was just handed a spot instead of Jones.
“I decided when I was 8 years old,” McKee told the Deseret News. “I made a promise to God and myself I wouldn’t compete in sports on Sunday while I was in control and had the ability to do so. For me, that is while I’m in high school.”
The fifth day of The Opening Finals also falls on a Sunday, but McKee said he will sit out then, as well.
CAMP SEASON IN FULL SWING
I outlined Ohio State's upcoming satellite camp schedule last week, noting stops in California, Florida, Georgia and Texas. However, it was just announced today the Buckeyes will return to the Golden State on June 11 for USC's Rising Stars camp.
Camp Alert pic.twitter.com/TfihWPggVD
— Coach K Watson (@therealkwat) June 6, 2017
The event — which will take place at USC's Howard Jones Field — will also included coaches from more than 30 schools such as Army, Air Force, Colorado State, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin. It will mark the second time the Buckeyes and Wolverines will share the field at a camp this summer.
An official list of expected attendees has not yet been made available, however four-star safety commit Jaiden Woodbey, the above-mentioned Tuliaupupu and five-star wide receivers Jalen Hall and Amon-Ra St. Brown could potentially be in attendance.
THE BEST TO EVER DO IT
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ohio State's graphic design team is second to none.
The work that Kenton Hessler and Samuel Silverman do on a daily basis is one of the most important factors in Ohio State's success on the recruiting trail, as they stay on top of the latest trends in music, sports and entertainment and turn it into something appealing to teenagers.
The emotion they've tapped into with their latest graphics, though, will be hard to top. On Sunday, four-star cornerback commit Sevyn Banks tweeted a graphic depicting four former first-round NFL draft picks essentially passing the torch to him. And on Monday, four-star linebacker pledge Teradja Mitchell shared a graphic of him teaming up with current linebacker Baron Browning.
#LBU pic.twitter.com/qMPx5vZtMa
— (@WhosThatNumber7) June 5, 2017
Flawless.
