Welcome to The Hurry-Up, which runs Sunday through Thursday, serving as your last stop for recruiting news and notes nightly. We'll recap the day as it happened and preview the days ahead while keeping our ear to the ground on the Ohio State recruiting scene.
VAUGHN VISIT OFF
To the surprise of no one, Nashville running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn will not visit the Buckeyes this weekend as has been planned for much of the last month.
Nashville (Pearl Cohn) 2015 RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn will not make his scheduled official visit to #OhioState this weekend.
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) December 11, 2014
Vaughn, the country's 31st-ranked tailback had the spot he was vying for taken last night when Mike Weber committed to Ohio State.
MICHAEL WARREN, JR. IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP THE RECRUITING SCENE
Getting early attention from next-level coaches isn't new to Toledo Central Catholic sophomore Michael Warren, Jr.
"I was coming out of 8th grade," Warren, Jr. told Eleven Warriors. "I'd see like every high school coach come to my games and practices to watch me play."
Warren, who lives in the Start High School district in Toledo, decided Central was the place for him, and not only because of football.
"Really," Warren said. "I went to Central for the academics at the school and because of the hard-nosed style of the football program."
Hard-nosed adequately describes the bruising sophomore tailback. Although he's listed at 5-foot-10, 187 pounds, Warren plays much bigger than that. In last week's state title win, Warren rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns, bringing him to an impressive 2,246 yards and 28 touchdowns in his memorable sophomore year. With NCAA policies as they are, colleges are not yet able to directly reach out to Warren, but it's coming. The Buckeyes are going to be one of them and that's something the Central sophomore is looking forward to.
"Ohio State is a place I feel I could fit in," Warren said. "I love the city and I love the environment. I've got an uncle that lives in Columbus. I know I'm young, but I think I could bring a lot of success to Ohio State in the future."
With a state championship win under his belt as a sophomore, Warren and his Irish teammates will enter 2015 with a target on their backs. Because of that, there's no resting on any perceived laurels.
"Yeah, winning a championship was a dream ending to the season," he said. "But it's time to get better for next year."
HOLDING ON TO WHAT IS YOURS IS HARDER THAN IT USED TO BE
In today's recruiting, the challenge of receiving a commitment from an out-of-state player isn't as hard as it used to be. Guys get smitten on unofficial visits and declare a de facto leader by issuing a paper-thin pledge which serves as a "kick me" sign on the back of the chosen school, pinpointing which team, coaching staff or school to attack for would-be-pursuers. Yes, the challenge of keeping a commitment has become a much more taxing piece of the recruiting puzzle.
For the Buckeyes, Josh Norwood and Carlton Davis will each be a nail-biter all the way to signing day and will require due-diligence from Ohio State and their coaching staff. Davis, who visited Ohio State officially for the Michigan game, is visiting Miami this weekend and it would not be a surprise if the Hurricanes angled hard for a flip from the hometown kid. The Buckeyes, for their part, are increasingly confident that Davis will end up in Columbus, but staying home is always a real threat.
With Norwood, there's a bit more concern as rumors are starting that Georgia is beginning to sniff around the Ohio State commitment. Kerry Coombs was at Valdosta today as the Buckeyes continue to recruit all of their verbal pledges, and Norwood says that even if Georgia were to offer it'd not have any impact on him at this point.
"No, not yet," Norwood told 11W when asked if any of the local SEC schools have been trying to get involved or offer. "If they do, it doesn't matter."
Ohio State, of course, is not a stranger to trying to pry a commitment away from their peers. It was a visit to Columbus that caused the rift between Juwuan Briscoe and Clemson and has allowed him to become a key remaining target for the Buckeyes.
BADGERS? WE MIGHT WANT SOME STINKIN' BADGERS
If you slept through Wednesday, just emerged from a comatose state or crawled out from under a rock, you might've missed the news that Wisconsin head coach Gary Andersen is now ex-Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen. The two-year Big Ten veteran departed Madison abruptly for Oregon State, making what is at best a lateral move to Pacific Northwest obscurity. As coaching changes happen these days, two questions always pop up. The first is why? Why did this coach, in a great position, leave so suddenly?
The second, and more important to many, is "who can Ohio State steal from that dude's recruiting class?"
As the Badgers' doors are opened, you'll find that it's not a situation like most others. Kids who have committed to Wisconsin rarely do so for one coach. It's a system unlike any other, especially for running backs, offensive lineman, etc. The bottom line? Don't expect a Michigan-style exodus. Heck, Wisconsin gained a four-star running back commitment today.
However, that doesn't mean guys aren't going to take a peek elsewhere. As it relates to the Buckeyes, perhaps only tight end Kyle Penniston from Santa Ana (California) Mater Dei is a viable option for the Buckeyes. Upon Andersen's departure, Ohio State's Tim Hinton reached out to Penniston, a 6-foot-5, 232-pounder. The country's 14th-ranked tight end said that was not the first time he's heard from the Buckeyes recently.
"I've had a few calls with (Tom) Herman," Penniston told 11W. "I'm waiting to see what happens at Wisconsin (before any visits are determined)."
Ohio State has no true tight end committed for 2015.
NO OFFERS YET FOR LYLES DESPITE INSANE JUNIOR SEASON
When you replace one of the country's most prolific — ever — quarterbacks, the expectations are lofty and the chances of achieving them are close to nil. That didn't stop junior Karé Lyles from having one heck of a junior year at Saguaro High School on the tails of Luke Rubenzer's record-setting career. In his first year as a starter, Lyles put up astronomical numbers as the Sabercats added another state title to their impressive run.
On the year, Lyles — who won first-team all-state honors in Arizona — racked up 3,420 yards passing while completing 71-percent of his passes. He threw 45 touchdowns against only five interceptions. Although he's still sitting on zero offers, don't be surprised if new Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen becomes the first to do so quickly.
Younger brother Kayden Lyles, a 2017 standout offensive lineman, has already been offered by Ohio State. Their father Kevin is originally from Indianapolis and played tight end for the University of Wisconsin.
