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.
A BIG SURPRISE
Ohio State has twice led the country in commits invited to Nike Football's The Opening Finals, sending nine pledges to the prestigious camp in 2013 and a record 11 last year. And while the Buckeyes will once again hold that title — albeit in a tie with Miami, which will also send eight members of its 2018 recruiting class heading to Oregon — five-star quarterback commit Emory Jones will not be among them.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Jones competed in the Elite 11 Finals this weekend, but had a rather inconsistent showing. He was widely considered the top overall performer on Friday, but reportedly struggled on Day 3.
I'm so confused
— Emory Jones (@eXjones6) June 5, 2017
“[He] would unleash an elite-level throw, only to follow it by short hopping his receiver,” 247Sports' Luke Stampini said. “This weekend, Jones came out on fire during day one, but slowly saw his level of play fall off through the week. His consistency was significantly better than his previous performances this spring, but still disappointing he couldn’t keep up his level of play from day one the following two outings.”
Jones, you may recall, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last October. He's played in 7-versus-7 games and competed on the camp circuit this spring, during which time he earned an invitation to Rivals' Five-Star Challenge.
Jones did not earn a spot at the Elite 11 Finals during the Atlanta Regional, as most in attendance at that time cited the same inconsistencies. He returned for the Charlotte Regional with a vengeance, however, and finally punched his ticket to the event.
As mentioned, Ohio State will send eight players to The Opening Finals, which takes place June 28-July 3. They are five-star defensive tackle commit Taron Vincent, five-star defensive end Brenton Cox, four-star running back Jaelen Gill, four-star linebacker Teradja Mitchell, four-star defensive end Andrew Chatfield, four-star cornerback Sevyn Banks and four-star safeties Josh Proctor and Jaiden Woodbey.
The quarterbacks invited to the event, meanwhile, are Clemson five-star commit Trevor Lawrence, Penn State five-star commit Justin Fields, USC five-star commit Matt Corral, uncommitted four-star Tanner McKee, Utah four-star commit Jack Tuttle, UCLA four-star commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson, TCU four-star commit Justin Rogers, N.C. State four-star commit Devin Leary, uncommitted four-star Tyler Shough, Washington State three-star commit Cammon Cooper, Virginia Tech three-star commit Quincy Patterson and Kentucky three-star commit Jarren Williams.
Only three of the aforementioned quarterbacks are rated higher than Jones in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
RECRUITING NEVER STOPS
Satellite camp season has begun for Ohio State, and linebackers coach Bill Davis was in Azuza, California, on Saturday for Prime Time Polynesian's The Kumite Showcase at Azusa Pacific University. Among those in attendance, Santa Ana four-star linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu.
“We spoke extensively,” Tuliaupupu's father, Turnbull, told Eleven Warriors. “Very experienced coach. Very personable. Coached up the linebackers. Mingled with all the coaches.”
Davis undoubtedly traveled the farthest out of anyone at the small Division II campus, including coaches from Oregon, San Diego State, Stanford, UCLA, UNLV, Utah, Utah State, USC and Washington State.
The Buckeyes landed a commitment on Friday night from Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star inside linebacker Teradja Mitchell, and many have wondered how it would affect the staff's pursuit of Tuliaupupu. Some feel the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder will ultimately decide between Ohio State and USC.
“Coach Davis and I touched on the topic briefly,” the elder Tuliaupupu said. “He said that Solo has the ability to come in and play any of the linebacker positions. At the end of the day, that's the nature of this process. From day-to-day and year-to-year, competition is the reality of it all.”
NOT ALL RANKINGS ARE EQUAL
Though Zamir White is widely considered the best running back in the country, I will go on record as saying Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman three-star running back Master Teague III is right there with him.
The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Teague showed as much during Alabama's camp on Sunday, posting a 4.31-second 40-yard dashing, a 40.7-inch vertical leap, and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump. For reference, former Ohio State H-Back Curtis Samuel posted a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and only six players there had a vertical leap exceeding 40 inches.
“They made him run twice because they thought they messed up the first time,” a source told Eleven Warriors.
Teague recently listed a top three of Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee, but the Crimson Tide could be on the verge of an offer. The Buckeyes are right there, too, as running backs coach Tony Alford was in Tennessee twice this spring to watch him practice. And while some feel the plan is to wait and see how things go with the above-mentioned White, sources tell me Alford loves everything about Teague — his family, work ethic and on-field play would make the staff seriously consider taking both, even with four-stars Brian Snead and Gill already in the fold.
Of course, the natural response is to point to the number of stars beside his name. But Teague didn't play as a sophomore as he sat behind an upperclassmen and just recently started to attend recruiting camps. If he posted numbers like he did on Sunday afternoon earlier in his career, there's no doubt in my mind that he'd be among the highest-rated players in the country right now.
If he attends one of Ohio State's camps this summer, Teague will likely walk away with an offer in hand. And that would change his recruitment entirely.
A BLIP ON THE RADAR
As I mentioned last week, Tom Herman had finally hit his stride at Texas.
Just days after he landed commitments from in-state four-star running back Keaontay Ingram and four-star safety DeMarvion Overshown, Angleton five-star safety B.J. Foster also pledged his services to the Longhorns.
It HAS BEGUN!! #revolUTion18 @VikingGraphics @Parker_Kirkmyer preciate the dope edits pic.twitter.com/xtPyQG5WKd
— Thebjfoster (@nofear_2) June 5, 2017
Texas also landed a commitment from Missouri four-star linebacker Ayodele Adeoye on Sunday night, only solidifying the Longhorns' grip on the fifth-best recruiting class in the country.
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Foster is considered the top-rated safety and the No. 16 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He picked Texas over finalists LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and TCU.
Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano offered Foster a scholarship during the 2016 spring evaluation period, and the two maintained contact thereafter. But he never made a trip to campus, so Ohio State was never really in contention for his services.
The Buckeyes landed commitments from Proctor and Woodbey, so it was highly unlikely Foster was ever going to end up in Columbus. I'm just interested in seeing how many people paint this as a win for Herman over his former boss, Urban Meyer.
