The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.
I don't remember much from my early childhood years. But one thing I will never forget is my first memory of Ohio State football.
I was only 6 years old when the Buckeyes played Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl. Plastered to the big screen television in a small Fostoria, Ohio, home, I listened to my father and his best friend rave about then-cornerback Damon Moore. He was a legend in this city, especially after his Redmen knocked off rival Fremont Ross in three-consecutive seasons before he took his talents to Columbus.
The Little Giants, if you didn't already know, were led by future Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson and the conversation that night occasionally drifted to how much better the Buckeyes would be if Woodson played opposite Moore in the secondary. That was only a pipe dream, however.
Before that game, my world was small. But after seeing a Fostoria native on television and with his name in the newspapers, I knew that there were only two things I wanted to do in my life: play for the Ohio State Buckeyes and then cover them for a living.
I moved from Fostoria to Gibsonburg, Ohio, shortly thereafter, but the plans never changed. I faithfully watched the Buckeyes every weekend — making sure to wear the same jersey as the team — and then reenact the game in the back yard by myself when it ended.
I never suited up for the Scarlet and Gray — though maybe if I loved playing organized football or conditioning as much as I do the intricacies of the game itself, it may have happened. Drawing and writing about football became my passions instead, and I often found myself scribbling notes of conference realignment and depth charts in my Biology notebook.
My high school English teacher took a particular interest in my obsession with the sport. She gave me the reins to the sports section of the school newspaper and set me on a path which ultimately helped my dreams come true.
During my time at Ohio State, I ventured down many different avenues. I tried my hand at television as a sports reporter for Buckeye TV and interned for a number of different SB Nation websites. The passion for sports was still there, but it wasn't until I graduated and moved to Virginia that I finally began to flourish as a reporter.
Covering government and school board matters — and only some high school sports — for The Tidewater News in Franklin, Virginia, wasn't necessarily what I had in mind for my first job out of school. But working at a small paper with three staff writers and a daily readership of maybe 3,000 people taught me how much building relationships means to your success.
It wasn't always easy, either, as one town I covered is so corrupt that I found myself up to my neck in court documents with legal gibberish. But my dedication to investigating and finding every side to each story paid off when I won numerous awards from the Virginia Press Association earlier this year.
I earned a promotion to sports editor along the way — though I also maintained my government and school board workload — and started my own website, both of which only amplified my desire to cover Ohio State for a living.
When the football recruiting analyst position opened up at Eleven Warriors, I knew it was the chance to fulfill my long-time dream.
It's a gigantic step in my career, and I have some rather large shoes to fill as a result. However, this is an amazing opportunity to work for and with a number of very talented writers and have my work read by some of the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in the world. I am thrilled to be a part of Eleven Warriors and look forward to all it entails.
I can be contacted at andrew.lind@elevenwarriors.com or at @AndrewMLind on Twitter.
PENN STATE TRENDING FOR LAMONT WADE
Clairton (Pennsylvania) High School five-star defensive back Lamont Wade will be at Friday Night Lights, but that didn't stop 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong from changing his Crystal Ball prediction to Penn State on Monday afternoon. Wade, the No. 7 cornerback in the 2017 class, attended the Nittany Lions' 7-on-7 camp and made an unofficial visit to Happy Valley one month ago today.
Things have seemed a bit off the past few months with Ohio State's recruitment of Wade, as he expressed some concern about being able to enroll early at Ohio State.
“Things have been going OK with the Buckeyes,” he told Rivals' Adam Friedman at their camp in Columbus in April where he received most valuable player honors among defensive backs. “I'm not really sure what's going on with the situation, but things are still cool with the Buckeyes.”
Half of the Crystal Ball predictions have Wade signing with Ohio State — compared to 42 percent for Penn State — but many wondered if Wiltfong's pick has to do with the imminent decision of Cincinnati Colerain defensive back Amir Riep. The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder is set to make his announcement on Saturday, and nearly every national pundit expects him to pick the Buckeyes.
Wade, meanwhile, plans to make his decision in December.
2018 TARGET TRANSFERS TO IMG
Class of 2018 cornerback Houston Griffith, son of former Illinois legend and current Big Ten Network Football Analyst Howard Griffith, will transfer from Chicago's Mount Carmel High School to play his junior and senior years at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
"I feel that this is the best decision for my development as a young man and player," he said via Twitter on Monday afternoon. "I will have the opportunity to play and practice against some of the best competition in the country on a daily basis. This decision will also allow me to graduate early and enroll to my university of choice."
The 6-foot, 180-pound Griffith earned an offer after a stellar performance in front of Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer at Detroit's Sound Mind/Sound Body camp. He told Eleven Warriors shortly thereafter that he had an idea that the scholarship may have been on the way.
“From my understanding, the staff had been wanting to offer. [Urban] Meyer and [Kerry] Coombs wanted to see me move in person,” Griffin said. “[After camp], coach Meyer and coach Coombs offered during a phone call."
The country's eight-ranked cornerback in the 2018 class according to 247Sports, Griffith will join future Buckeyes Isaiah Pryor and Marcus Williams in the Avengers' defensive backfield.
He is expected to attend Friday Night Lights.
“I'm still working on some things, but I should be there,” he told Bucknuts last week. “I'm looking forward to just being around the players and seeing and learning from the coaches.”
FLORIDA STATE SET TO HOST OKUDAH
One of Ohio State's top remaining targets from the Class of 2017, five-star safety Jeffrey Okudah, released his top-six schools one week ago tonight. The Buckeyes made the cut for the 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect, along with Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Georgia and USC.
While the Scarlet and Gray are the 247 Sports Crystal Ball favorite to land to the Grand Prarie, Texas, native, Warchant.com ($) says Okudah will visit Tallahassee this week. He recently visited Oklahoma, but also took a pair of unofficial visits this summer to Columbus.
The nation's top safety has no decision timeline and has indicated that an announcement could come as soon as he finds the best fit.
