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.
CHICAGO THE OPENING REGIONALS SEES BUCKEYE TARGETS STAND OUT
Yesterday in Chicago, Nike's The Opening regionals were the order of the day and a number of Buckeye targets were among the big names participating. Only four names out of the prospects on-hand were selected for The Opening in Oregon this coming July, but they're names that should be familiar to Ohio State fans.
- WR Donnie Corley // Detroit, Michigan
- DT Mike Panasiuk // Roselle, Illinois
- LB Carter Coughlin // Eden Prairie, Minnesota
- DB Lavert Hill // Detroit, Michigan
While Hill and Coughlin, committed to Penn State and Minnesota respectively, are essentially off the board for Ohio State, Corley and Panasiuk continue to be names worth monitoring. Corley is one of the top two targets at wide receiver for the Buckeyes and Panasiuk is a defensive tackle that has recently started to garner their attention; he visited Ohio State two weekends ago for the Buckeye spring game.
There were a handful of other names that stood out yesterday in the Windy City. The one player who was consistently named at the top of the list was Detroit Cass Tech's Michael Onwenu. According to 247Sports.com's Steve Wiltfong ($$) it was a dominant performance from Onwenu across the board.
Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech Top247 offensive guard Michael Onwenu played three different positions and was dominant at all three.
Onwenu took snaps at offensive tackle, showing his athleticism and feet, stoning Top247 defensive end Austin Robertson on one rep. Onwenu is definitely an interior guy on the next level, but on the prep level you can line him up at every position on both sides of the ball along both lines.
Speaking of defense, Onwenu took snaps at defensive tackle had his way with the offensive line.
The Buckeyes were once the leader for Onwenu, who now says that Michigan is recruiting him the hardest. The questions surrounding Stan Drayton's departure from Ohio State and uncertainty about his position in college are both a big part in the change with Onwenu, but the Buckeyes aren't out of it.
Michigan State quarterback commitment Messiah deWeaver, Illinois' Josh King, and Indiana defensive lineman Auston Robertson were all on-hand and impressed as well. There's a very good chance that King and Robertson could end up as teammates, whether at Michigan State or Notre Dame.
LYKE ADDS KEY OFFER, BUCKEYES NEXT?
Last night Notre Dame offered Fremd, Illinois' Kenney Lyke, a 2016 safety that the Buckeyes have watched closely for a few weeks.
Ohio State's Chris Ash visited Lyke last week, but the Buckeyes did not extend an offer, hoping – as they have been – that they'd get a chance to see Lyke in person at camp come June. The Notre Dame offer could potentially force the Buckeyes' hand when it comes to offering the 6-foot-2, 182-pound defensive back.
Will they offer? If I was a betting man, I'd go with "no" at this point. While the Buckeyes recognize Lyke is a talented player, in a class that's already more than halfway full, they aren't going to offer someone they aren't 100-percent sure is right for the class. If that were the case today, the offer would be there. The defending national champions have a large national footprint and aren't going to "reach" at any point in the process, even though they think Lyke is a player who could be worth an offer down the road.
2017 WIDE RECEIVER GROUP IS LOADED
While the Buckeyes are still working hard to land their top two wide receiver prospects in 2016 (Austin Mack and Donnie Corley), it's hard to not get caught looking ahead at what could be a really special 2017 group. Cocoa, Florida's Bruce Judson, an "athlete" on the prospect boards, will likely play wide receiver and is already committed to Ohio State. Who is on the list after him? Lots and lots of talent.
As it stands, the Buckeyes are in the lead group for two five-star 2017s, Fort Lauderdale's Trevon Grimes and Detroit's Donovan Peoples-Jones. Ohio State is also very active and aggressive in their recruitment of East St. Louis standout Jeff Thomas, another early five-star in 2017. Grimes, Peoples-Jones and Thomas are ranked first, third and sixth respectively at the position in their class.
Ninth-ranked Keyshawn Johnson, Jr. and 12th-ranked Emmanuel Greene, a pair of four-stars, are each very high on Ohio State as well. Greene had considered a commitment this past February, but hasn't yet returned to Columbus, although he hopes to this summer. Johnson, as you know, is the cousin of Ohio State junior Michael Thomas, and he and his family have gotten to know the Buckeyes very well. At number 18 on the list is Virginia's Tahj Capehart, another wider receiver with a Buckeye offer.
The possibilities though, are not just coming outside of Ohio. The Buckeye state has a number of high-level prospects for 2017 as well. That last starts with the country's 16th-ranked wide receiver Danny Davis, a fast-rising, 6-foot-3 star from Springfield. Fremont Ross junior Craig Yeast II, the son of former NFL wideout Craig Yeast, checks in at No. 29 on the list of 2017 wide receivers and Maple Heights' star Javonte Richardson is the 36th-ranked wide receiver in the same class.
As Devin Smith, Evan Spencer, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall and others make their way into the NFL, you can expect that more and more big-time wide receivers give Ohio State a close look.
