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.
MANIC MOND, EH?
If you've paid any attention to anything that happens in recruiting in the last few years, you've realized by now that there are some things that happen which matter and another number of things that happen which don't mean squat. Usually, I'd tell you that Tweets, fan retweets and stuff like that don't matter much, but there's a bit of a different feel to the post made my IMG quarterback Kellen Mond on Saturday night.
#WDE pic.twitter.com/XTunX6KUZb
— .. Kellen (@TheKellenMond) May 29, 2016
Of course, on Friday, Mond showed off something similar – about Texas A&M.
Though he's still committed to Baylor, the talk right now is that the country's 103rd-ranked 2017 prospect wants to make a college decision this Friday, a day before he takes place in the Elite 11 finals in California.
The Buckeyes are still recruiting both he and Tate Martell – and still have Danny Clark committed – and they'd prefer to see if they can get Martell on campus again before reaching a final decision on what happens next. That visit appears to be in the works for the next few weeks.
From Scout.com, who was with Martell at the Steve Clarkson QB Retreat in San Diego this weekend.
If Mond were to make a choice this week, it seems to me that he'd likely be choosing Auburn. Because of that, he best-case scenario for the Buckeyes would be no decision for Mond this week.
ANTJUAN SIMMONS WORKING HARD FOR BUCKEYES
Yesterday we touched based on Antjuan Simmons and his upcoming visit to Michigan Stadium (with his team, for a game, it's ok, just relax).
"This is that game us high schoolers dream of. Its going to be a special memory for me. p.s I might have to come out rocking OSU gear."
On Twitter last night Simmons made another splash online, letting Ohio State fans know who his personal targets for the rest of the 2017 recruiting class are.
Tell me how y'all feel about this buckeye nation!!@youngchase907 pic.twitter.com/4tAYmXuc9l
— Antjuan Simmons (@_antjuan_) May 30, 2016
It's a pretty good group, if you consider it: defensive end Chase Young is a five-star on Rivals, Baron Browning and Jeffrey Okudah are both composite five-stars and Cincinnati's Amir Riep is the country's hottest prospect this spring.
Ironically, the Buckeyes may be the team to beat for all those prospects except for with Riep, the lone Ohio native on the list.
BECK SEES EMORY JONES, TOP 2018 QB TARGET NARROWING DATES FOR A VISIT
Let's stick to quarterbacks, but move to 2018. Franklin, Georgia's Emory Jones received another visit last week from Tim Beck, Ohio State's second-year quarterback coach.
The visit went well, according to Jones, the country's second-ranked dual-threat quarterback.
"It was great," Jones said of seeing Beck again. "He just wanted to meet my mom."
Jones has talked for the last few weeks about a June visit to Ohio State and although reports today pinpointed June 18th as the visit date, he says he's not sure if that's the case.
"I'm gonna be in Tennessee on the 18th," he said. "I still don't know which date I'm going up (to Ohio State)."
Though he doesn't know the date – and it may very well up being the 18th – Jones does know that he's ready to get to Columbus for the first time.
"I'm ready to get up there," he added. "I'm ready to see everything."
Ohio State is currently ahead of Tennessee as the 247Sports.com crystal ball leader for Jones.
DOTSON DOWN TO TWO?
One of the five 2017 tight ends that claim an Ohio State scholarship offer, Cincinnati Moeller tight end Matt Dotson is getting very close to making a college decision.
This weekend, Dotson – the country's ninth-ranked tight end – made his second visit to Penn State in two weeks, and he's told Eleven Warriors that he hopes to make another trip to Michigan State this coming week.
A decision by Dotson could come at Nike's The Opening in July, where the Cincinnati Moeller native will represent his future team at the nation's elite recruiting camp/combine.
Michigan had been right near the top of the list for the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder, but it now seems it's the Nittany Lions and the Spartans are the two teams at the top of the list.
