The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s events with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
THE DEFENSIVE BACKS
There's a number of key participants set to arrive in Columbus for Friday Night Lights, but no one positional group has more talent to watch than the defensive backs. Which players are going to draw the most focus from the Buckeyes?
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Damar Hamlin // 2016 // Pittsburgh (Central Catholic)
- Damar Hamlin has been at the top of Ohio State's defensive backs board for a while now, and he's made no bones about his affinity for the Buckeyes. This week's visit will be his sixth trip to Columbus in the last year and Ohio State, along with Pittsburgh, Penn State and Notre Dame, remain the Buckeyes' primary competition. Hamlin has gotten very familiar with a number of current Ohio State players and is close to the 2016 class as well.
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Andrew Prtys // 2016 // Hickory, Pa. (Hermitage)
- A Penn State legacy, Andrew Pryts will make his third visit to Ohio State since April, and in recent months, the Buckeyes have become the odds-on favorite to land the 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety. Notre Dame and Penn State continue to lurk, but unless Pryts makes another trip to South Bend – which continues to be rumored despite his assertions to the contrary – it wouldn't be a surprise to see him commit to Ohio State within the next two weeks and maybe as early as Friday night.
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Patrice Rene // 2016 // Alexandria, Va. (Episcopal)
- At one time, Patrice Rene, who transferred from Canada to Virginia at the start of his junior season, was considered a likely Buckeye. Now, as he approaches a college decision, he's going to visit Ohio State again with the hopes of proving to their coaching staff that he's a top-level talent who fits into the 2016 class.
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Lamont Wade // 2017 // Clairton, Pa. (Clairton)
- One of the country's premier cornerbacks in the 2017 class, Lamont Wade has been a Buckeye target for a while now and one of the few remaining defensive backs in his class that could commit at any time. The country's 5th-ranked cornerback in 2017 will not work out on Friday night thanks to a nagging leg injury.
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Paris Ford // 2017 // Pittsburgh (Seton-La Salle)
- Another big-time Pittsburgh star in the secondary, Paris Ford is a close friend of Damar Hamlin and the 6th-ranked safety in the 2017 class. He and Hamlin have stated publicly that they plan to attend the same college.
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Richard LeCounte // 2017 // Hinesville, Ga. (Liberty County)
- A former high school teammate of current Buckeye Raekwon McMillan, Richard LeCounte will return to Columbus on Thursday afternoon just days after being in town for a recruiting combine. LeCounte has long insisted that he'll make a decision late in the process but there's some around the Buckeye program who feel this weekend might have the power to change that.
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Darnay Holmes // 2017 // Calabasas, Calif. (Calabasas)
- A five-star prospect from California, Darnay Holmes will visit Ohio State again with friend and now teammate Keyshawn Johnson, Jr. Holmes was in Columbus in April so a second trip to the Midwest isn't something to take lightly.
The full list of Friday Night Lights' visitors, as we currently have it, can be found here.
NICK BOSA FINISHES UP FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE VISITS
Down in Florida, there's a little-known 2016 defensive end named Nick Bosa who Ohio State continues to recruit. This past weekend, Bosa visited Florida and Florida State, two programs that hoped to, at the very least, make a big enough impression on Bosa to get him to delay his decision.
Although he won't be at Friday Night Lights, Bosa's decision is likely to come within a few weeks. The folks in the know at both Florida and Florida State, while being "happy" with how their respective visits with Bosa went – especially the folks in Tallahassee – they are not optimistic in any way that they've overcome Ohio State's lead.
Bottom line, barring anything crazy happening, expect a Bosa-sized boom within a few weeks but don't be surprised if it stretches to the start of his senior season.
JACKSON ON HIS WAY BACK TO COLUMBUS
Although it's been hinted at for weeks, today it became official: Antwuan Jackson will be back at Ohio State for Friday Night Lights. The Georgia defensive tackle visited Ohio State for almost four days in June and he'll be back for three more this time around.
Per Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.com:
“Yes, I’ll be there,” Jackson said. “I’m leaving Friday morning. I’m going up with my coach again. I think my dad might go to [sic], but I’m not sure yet. We’ll be there till Sunday.”
The Buckeyes are at the top of the list for Jackson and this weekend will be another opportunity for Ohio State's staff to underscore his importance to their class. It will also be another chance for Jackson to get closer to Buckeye commitments, especially Jonathon Cooper, who has been working overtime to try and land a national name at defensive tackle.
FITZPATRICK OUT OF FNL
Michigan 2016 wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick, who had been planning for weeks to come to Friday Night Lights, will no longer maker the trip. Fitzpatrick, committed to Louisville, visited the Cardinals again last week and came away from that trip with a change of plans.
After visiting The Ville last Friday, I'm more convinced that MY RECRUITMENT IS OVER!!!
— Dez Fitzpatrick01 (@dezfitz8) July 22, 2015
"I will not be attending Friday Night Lights," Fitzpatrick told 11W. "I'm done with recruiting."
Fitzpatrick is a four-star wide receiver and the country's 304th-ranked overall prospect.
TOLEDO DUO WILL BE AT FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Toledo Central Catholic 2017 stars Michael Warren, Jr. and James Hudson will be at Friday Night Lights.
Warren, the country's 9th-ranked running back and 99th-ranked overall player, says he's been working hard to get himself ready for the Buckeyes.
"I've been training for this camp," Warren told 11W. "I want to show Ohio State what they're missing out on."
Hudson, 6-foot-5 and 275-pounds, is a two-way lineman that could play on either side of the ball in college. He first popped onto the recruiting scene during last year's Ohio Division III state championship game against Athens.
