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.
COUNTING DOWN THE MINUTES
Decision day has arrived for Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell.
The 6-foot-2, 243-pounder holds more than 30 offers from top programs all over the country, but is set to choose between finalists Florida State and Ohio State at 7 o'clock this evening.
We've detailed his recruitment quite extensively over the last two months, but here's one last refresher.
The Seminoles have long been considered the favorite for Mitchell, the second-ranked inside linebacker and No. 38 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, but the tide began to change when Mitchell made his second trip to Columbus in early April. The staff rolled out the red carpet and showed Mitchell how they'll not only prepare him for a long career in the NFL, but also set him up for life after football.
The staff felt extremely confident in its chances, especially after Mitchell accelerated his announcement plans from the fall to late May or early June. But a trip to Tallahassee in mid-May tempered the excitement a bit on Ohio State's end.
Florida State, surprisingly, did not put the full-court press on Mitchell and his parents that weekend, though. With most of the team out of town thanks to the semester coming to a close the week prior, the visit pretty much consisted of touring the facilities and meeting with academic advisers and the coaching staff — all things Mitchell had done previously.
Fisher and Haggins obviously felt confident in their standing, which makes a lot of sense given their relationship with Mitchell goes back two years. Mitchell's good friends, Levonta Taylor and Khalan Laborn, made the same move from Virginia Beach in recent years, as well. But that uneventful visit also gave Ohio State a renewed hope, despite having a quarter of the time invested.
As of early this afternoon, Mitchell had not informed either staff of his decision. He's kept everything close to the vest and most recruiting analysts believe it'll be the flip of a coin. However, my sources in the 757, whom I trust greatly, continue to feel as if Ohio State will be the pick.
The two programs — as Mitchell alluded to — offer similar things. They've both won a national championship in the last five years and are among the nation's leaders in sending players to the National Football League over that same span.
Given Florida State's success in Hampton Roads, this would typically go in the Seminoles' favor. But it's the off-the-field things, such as the Buckeyes' Real Life Wednesdays program, that resonated with Mitchell and his family.
ANOTHER SWELL IS BUILDING
Last night, Ohio State landed a pledge from Fort Lauderdale American Heritage four-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield. It came as a surprise to some, but as I mentioned in his commitment article, he'd long coveted an offer from the Buckeyes — wouldn't you know, he actually tried to commit to the staff last year sans offer.
It wasn't until defensive line coach Larry Johnson and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs watched him in person during the Patriots' scrimmage last week that the offer was handed out. And once that happened, it was only a matter of time before he made the call.
The assistants were also impressed by Chatfield's teammate, four-star defensive tackle Nesta Silvera, and offered him a scholarship that same night. And who wouldn't want to watch the two come off the same side of the football for at least the next four years?
#ESPN300 DT & #Canes commit @NJS_ERA (Nesta Silvera) was a wrecking ball tonight at American Heritage spring scrimmage pic.twitter.com/Obun1IoE4z
— Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) May 24, 2017
Though he's been committed to Miami since February, those close to the program feel he's considering flipping his pledge from the Hurricanes to the Buckeyes.
Ohio State already holds a commitment from IMG Academy five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent, but Silvera is better suited to play as a one-technique nose tackle. Pairing the two would make for one massive haul — both physically and because it would steal a prized recruit away from Miami, the only team ahead of Ohio State in the 247Sports Team Rankings.
Unlike Chatfield, Silvera has never been to Columbus, and could very well wait until he makes the trip this summer to make a decision on his future. Or he could easily do it on Twitter this evening and continue to build his relationship with the staff thereafter.
But no matter the timeline, the Buckeyes are clearly riding a wave of momentum in South Florida right now.
IN A PEACH STATE OF MIND
Ohio State's coaching staff kept itself rather busy during the spring evaluation period, giving out offers almost left and right to prospects in all corners of the country. More than a dozen of them were handed out in Georgia, though, the latest one going to Buford offensive tackle Harry Miller.
Grateful to receive an offer from Ohio State! @BufordProspects @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Faz9isB6Y3
— Harry Miller (@harrymiller76) June 2, 2017
The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Miller is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but he plays for one of the best high school football programs in the country and will certainly be one of the top-rated prospects in the state for the Class of 2019 as a result. He's picked up 14 offers in the last two months, including from program such as Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.
