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.
OKUDAH EXCITED FOR RETURN TO COLUMBUS
Although there will be a number of big-time visitors on-hand for Ohio State's mega-contest against Michigan State next weekend, 2017 five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah is one of the biggest. The Grand Prairie, Texas, star — who lists the Buckeyes as his current leader — says he's really looking forward to the visit. He hasn't been on campus since a mid-June trip to Columbus.
"I talk to Chris Ash every day," Okudah told Eleven Warriors. "Things are going great and I'm still excited for this trip."
The country's 10th-ranked 2017 prospect will arrive in Columbus with his family on Saturday morning. He and his South Grand Prairie teammates are still alive in the Texas playoffs, knocking off Euless Trinity—the country's third-ranked team—on Friday night.
For Okudah, who stands at 6-foot-2 and just under 200 pounds, the relationship with Ash is a key to his recruitment. He knows that with all the coaching openings around the country that there's a chance the Buckeyes' defensive coordinator may not be there by the time he enrolls in college.
"It would have some effect," Okudah told 11W. "If he was to leave and a great defensive backs coach was hired, I'd have no problem. I'd be confident with whomever was hired, I'd just have to do some research."
SIBLEY SAVES HOBAN'S STATE TITLE HOPES
Akron Hoban's state title aspirations were in jeopardy Friday night in the Division III regional semifinal against Louisville. 2017 Ohio State commit Todd Sibley fought through an ankle injury to lead the Knights in the fourth quarter. Sibley carried the ball 39 times for 298 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown with just minutes left on the clock.
Highlights: #Louisville vs. #Hoban https://t.co/RnDTPhbiBK @HobanFootball @HobanAthletics @DClarkQB @ToddSib23 @chickmanREP #Buckeyes
— FridayNightOhio (@FridayNightOhio) November 14, 2015
Hoban has been one of the state's premier teams all season and, according to Sibley, he knew he was being counted on by his teammates to deliver the win.
"The past few weeks, the team has kind of looked at me as the guy whose going to finish the game, so I've accepted that role," Sibley told 11W Sunday. "In the fourth quarter, in my mind, I knew that it was gut-check time for me and the whole team. It was time to step up and finish it."
Sibley's performance stood out to his offensive coordinator, Drew Sarachman, as well.
"He was unbelievable," Sarachman said. "(It was) one of the toughest performances I've ever witnessed. One reporter said he lost track of broken tackles at 28 in the fourth quarter."
Fellow Buckeye commit Danny Clark threw for 128 yards and a pair of scores. The Knights will face off against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary next weekend. SVSM's lone loss off the season was against Hoban back in late September.
DIVING INTO WADE'S RECRUITMENT
Recruiting in 2015 isn't like it used to be. Not only are college coaches running multimillion dollar football programs with 85 scholarship players, they're required to be recruiting around the clock, day-in, day-out. Heck, not only are you recruiting seniors and juniors and sophomores and freshmen but you've even got to know who each of those kids are playing every stinking weekend. It's not easy, but somehow, the nation's top programs stay on top of it.
#LOVE pic.twitter.com/gSEZXAGsQ1
— Laont Wade (@Goony_38) November 13, 2015
That is, of course, Lamont Wade, one of Ohio State's top recruiting targets in the 2017 class and just a sampling of the personalized recruiting graphics he received on Friday prior to his playoff game against Avonworth. Wade's Clairton Bears rolled to a 46-21 win, improving to 11-0 on the season despite the four-star cornerback/running back missing significant time with an ankle injury throughout the middle part of the year.
On Friday, back to full health, Wade ran for 225 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns, one of which a 91-yard jaunt for six points. At 5-foot-10, 185-pounds, Wade could be a high-level recruit on offense or defense, in fact two schools – Pitt and West Virginia – have made it clear to the country's 56th-ranked player he could line up on offense and defense if he chose their program. Wade is expected in Columbus this coming weekend and, despite a push from Penn State to visit for their game against Michigan, his father Carlton says that trip is going to happen.
"Yes," Carlton Wade told 11W when asked if they were confirmed for their visit to Columbus. "Even though Penn State is pulling really hard."
Wade visited the Buckeyes in October for their night game against the Nittany Lions and Ohio State returned the favor two weeks ago during their open week: Urban Meyer himself made a trip to Clairton.
