The Hurry Up: Safety Commit Hopes to Put Rumors to Rest While In-State Lineman Talks Top Schools

By Andrew Lind on June 15, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Zeke Correll
Zeke Correll
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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.

PICTURE THIS

You're an elite college football recruit with plenty of great options for your future. You can stay home and play for the same program your father did or you can commit to a school known for sending defensive backs to the National Football League at an unprecedented rate.

You decide to take the second route, but in the month since have had countless people — coaches, fans, relatives and friends alike — pulling you in several different directions. The school you're committed to wants you to come back as much as possible to get familiar with the place, seeing as it's all the way across the country from where you grew up. The school close by is hoping its resurgence on the field and your family ties ultimately change your mind. While another school, which you didn't give much consideration to initially, has pitched the idea of you being their prized recruit instead of just another four- or five-star prospect.

So, then, you now understand what it's like to be Ohio State four-star safety commit Jaiden Woodbey, who has USC and Oklahoma breathing down his neck constantly. All the rumors of a flip were only amplified, then, when he sent a now-deleted tweet marked with his location as Oklahoma late Wednesday night.

Of course, that sent Twitter and message boards into a tizzy, but Woodbey was not in Norman last night. He's never been there. And while we could easily assume he put that location into his tweet to cause a stir, the point of the matter remains: He's still committed to Ohio State.

Just last week, I mentioned how Bob Stoops' sudden retirement was good news for the Buckeyes. Woodbey was seriously considering taking a visit to Oklahoma this spring, and I would have told you to be concerned as a result. But Lincoln Riley and the rest of the Sooners staff now have even more ground to make up, and the likelihood of a flip has decreased dramatically.

Fed up with constant chatter, Woodbey has decided to avoid Twitter altogether. He says he will be back on Aug. 26, the day St. John Bosco plays St. Thomas Aquinas in a nationally televised game.

So what do we make of all of this? Even with all the rumors, I've never believed Oklahoma to be a real threat. He may take a visit to Norman this fall, and if he does, I may change my tune. But until that happens, I believe USC remains the only school that could change his mind.

BUILDING BLOCKS

Ohio State welcomed Cincinnati Anderson offensive guard Zeke Correll for its second one-day camp of the summer on Tuesday afternoon, which marked his first visit to campus since the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship in mid-May.

“They asked me to come down here so they could see me in action and see if I was really worth the offer,” Correll told reporters gathered outside of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I didn't feel any pressure, but I felt like I had to make a statement for myself and prove to them that I was really worth their offer, which I think they already thought I was. I just wanted to make that statement and show them I was worth it.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Correll is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but it is apparent by the early offer that the staff feels he'll be among the top-rated in-state prospects for the Class of 2019. He holds nearly a dozen offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, and West Virginia.

“I don't have a list yet, but I'd say they're Top 5 right now,” Correll said of Ohio State. “I'd say Kentucky is up there right now because of my family ties. I really love the coaching staff down there. Also, I like Northwestern. Smart schools. I have a couple other schools I'd like to be offered by, but we'll see.”

So what are Correll's family ties to the Wildcats?

“Whew. It's a lot,” he said, explaining how two sisters, both of his parents and both of his grandparents went there. His grandpa was an All-American under legendary head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

For now, Correll is focused on growing his relationship with the staff, namely Coombs and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa. He plans to return to campus for Friday Night Lights next month.

“We've definitely gotten a little closer [since the offer],” Correll said. “We're more like friends. We've built a friendship. I'm hoping we can keep going.”

NEVER TOO EARLY

Ohio State quarterbacks coach Ryan Day offered a scholarship on Thursday to Marietta, Georgia, quarterback Harrison Bailey. The two have grown close since he visited campus in February, and Day called to deliver the news this afternoon.

"[I was] excited," Bailey told Eleven Warriors. "They don't offer many freshmen."

And Bailey's right, as he becomes only the second quarterback from the Class of 2020, joining Arizona's Jack Miller, to earn an offer from the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has shown he's more than worthy, though, as he threw for 2,812 yards and 21 touchdowns in his first year as a starter for the Blue Devils last season.

Bailey holds offers from more than 15 of the top programs in the country, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Oklahoma, but said the trip to Ohio State stood out.

"It went great. I loved it," he said.

Bailey hopes to return for a game this fall.  

PEACH STATE PIPELINE

The Buckeyes also extended a scholarship offer on Wednesday evening to Carrollton, Georgia, outside linebacker Kevin Swint.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Swint is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites but is expected to be among the top-rated players in the Class of 2020 after he recorded 51 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception to help the Trojans to the state playoffs last season. He holds a dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Tennessee.

Sources in the Peach State tell Eleven Warriors that Swint is still growing and could develop into terrorizing defensive end at the next level, similar to that of current Ohio State commit and fellow Georgian Brenton Cox.

BOOMER SOONER?

Though I'll be disappointed if he doesn't end up with the Sooners based on his name alone, Ohio State offered a scholarship to Collinsville, Oklahoma, four-star tight end Grayson Boomer during an unofficial visit on Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Boomer is considered the top-rated tight end and No. 18 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he was named first-team all-state last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from schools such as Arkansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas.

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