The Hurry Up: Defensive Line Target Trims List While Another Option Emerges at Quarterback

By Andrew Lind on June 22, 2017 at 6:50 pm
David Baldwin
David Baldwin, right
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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.

NO ROOM LEFT FOR A FOUR-STAR

When Ohio State landed a commitment in early April from IMG Academy five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent, there was talk of him teaming up in Columbus with fellow Ascender four-star defensive end Stephon Wynn Jr.

But with four-stars Andrew Chatfield and Brenton Cox entering the fold in the months since — and the staff still chasing five-star Micah Parsons and four-star Tyreke Smith — Wynn has decided to move in a different direction. On Wednesday night, he announced a Top 3 of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina and a commitment date of July 1.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Wynn is considered the fifth-best strong-side defensive end and No. 104 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. Though he's a native of South Carolina, it's Georgia that is expected to gain his pledge.

It could be an especially big week for the Bulldogs, too, as five-star running back Zamir White will announce his college intentions on June 27.

ONCE UPON A TIME

Just two months after he included Ohio State in his Top 7, McDonough, Georgia, Eagle's Landing Christian Academy three-star cornerback Tre' Douglas committed to Vanderbilt. He made the decision following an unofficial visit to Nashville on Wednesday.

"I chose Vanderbilt because I know it is a 40 year decision, not a four year decision," Douglas told Rivals. "I know coach [Derek] Mason will take me to my full potential and even help me break through the barrier."

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Douglas is considered the 34th-best cornerback and the No. 357 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, having recorded 34 tackles and three interceptions to help the Chargers to their second-straight Class A Private state championship last season.

Douglas visited Columbus for the double-overtime win over Michigan last November and returned to campus in early April. He called Ohio State his leader at that point in time, citing his relationship with head coach Urban Meyer and then-defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs. But his chances of ending up with the Buckeyes decreased dramatically with a pledge from Florida four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks just a few weeks later.

BEGINNING TO TAKE SHAPE

Several young and talented quarterbacks have made their way through the doors of Ohio State's Woody Hayes Athletic Center this spring, which has kept quarterbacks coach Ryan Day quite active in his search for the Buckeyes' next commit at the position.

We've previously talked about visits from Texas four-star Grant Tisdale, Oregon four-star Michael Johnson Jr. and Michigan three-star Dwan Mathis, but another name to keep in mind is Upland, California, four-star David Baldwin. He attended Saturday's one-day camp, and was never more than five feet away from quarterback commit Emory Jones.

"I enjoyed it," Baldwin told Eleven Warriors. "Some things that stood out were how passionate the coaches were about coaching. Like they were very serious. And also the campus."

The 6-foot-4, 202-pound Baldwin is considered the fifth-best dual-threat quarterback and No. 249 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he threw for 1,671 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 394 yards and five touchdowns for the Highlanders last season. He currently holds offers from Arizona, Colorado State, Missouri, Oregon State and Utah, but hopes to continue to build a relationship with the Ohio State staff.

"The coaches said that I'm very smooth with a strong arm," Baldwin said, explaining how Day contacted his coach and said they're on the verge of offering. "He just has to get coach Meyer's approval. He wants to see me become a winner, more of a passer and wants to see me grow."

PAY THAT MAN

On Thursday afternoon, Ohio State promoted Coombs to assistant coordinator of the defense. It came with a $75,000 raise, and is certainly one of the reasons Coombs didn't follow former defensive coordinator Luke Fickell to Cincinnati back in December.

For the Buckeyes, the move is a no-brainer. Every starter Coombs has coached in Columbus has made it to the National Football League, and he continues to recruiting at an extremely high level. His ties in the Cincinnati and Detroit metropolitan areas, he would have been extremely difficult to replace, as well.

Coombs' work in the Detroit area — where he plucked starters Damon Webb, Mike Weber and Michael Jordan in consecutive classes — turned the tables in Ohio State's favor up north, while his connections in Cincinnati have been just as important.

Ohio State signed only eight recruits from the Cincinnati area in the 10 years prior to Coombs' arrival, but have since pulled at least one prospect from the region in each of the last five recruiting classes — not to mention the Buckeyes hold a commitment from four-star cornerback Amir Riep of Colerain.

Ohio State would have certainly found it harder to recruit those regions without Coombs, and that is one of the many reasons why the Buckeyes did everything they could to keep him on staff.

I believe the slight bump in salary — at least in the coaching realm — will have a tremendous return on investment.

A LITTLE TIME TO MYSELF

I am taking a mini vacation this weekend, so there will not be a Friday or Sunday edition of The Hurry Up. I'll be back on Monday with a recap of the weekend's happenings, as well as a preview of Nike Football's The Opening Finals on Tuesday. 

I hope you guys don't burn the place down while I'm gone.

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