The Hurry Up: Penn State Decommitment Could Impact Ohio State While Buckeyes May Be on Verge of Landing Second Virginia Linebacker

By Andrew Lind on June 7, 2017 at 7:15 pm
K'Vaughan Pope
K'Vaughan Pope
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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.

SOMETHING TO WATCH 

Last night, five-star quarterback Justin Fields decommitted from Penn State. He didn't give any specifics as to why he chose to back off his pledge, the distance between his hometown of Kennesaw, Georgia, and State College, Pennsylvania, seems to be the biggest factor.

The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Fields committed to the Nittany Lions back in December as a low four-star prospect, but has since established himself as one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the country — he just earned himself an invitation to The Opening Finals this past weekend. Schools such as Alabama, Florida and Florida State have offered in the meantime, but don't count out the home-state Bulldogs from making their own push in the coming weeks.

A source close to the Georgia program told Eleven Warriors about a week ago to pay attention to Fields. Why? Well, with five-star running back Zamir White set to make his college decision later this month, landing an elite signal caller like Fields would certainly increase their chances.

Much like White, Fields is a very low-key kid, and most of his recruitment will go down behind the scenes. The Gators and Tigers will certainly be the schools linked to Fields the most, but I expect the Bulldogs to land his services sooner rather than later — and solidify their standing with White as a result.

Fields, as you well know by now, becomes the second five-star prospect to decommit from Penn State in the last three months. The other, defensive end Micah Parsons, who is widely considered Ohio State's top priority for the Class of 2018. And the chances either one returns to Happy Valley? Extremely unlikely.

OLD DOMINION FREIGHT LINE

Shortly after Ohio State landed a commitment late last week from Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan four-star Teradja Mitchell, I mentioned on Twitter how his pledge could increase the Buckeyes' chances of landing fellow Virginia linebacker K'Vaughan Pope.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Pope made his first trip to Columbus in early April, and linebackers coach Bill Davis recently stopped by his high school in Dinwiddie, a suburb of Richmond, to watch him practice.

“The coaches were awesome,” Pope told Eleven Warriors when asked about his visit. “I've never seen anything like it.”

Pope, the sixth-best inside linebacker and No. 143 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, holds offers from and has visited Clemson, Florida and North Carolina, among a host of other schools. But like it does with so many other recruits, the Buckeyes' Real Life Wednesdays program stood out to Pope.

“That's what I want. Life after football,” he said, noting he wants to major in business. “I want to open my own business. [A] body shop. Working on damaged cars and painting them.”

Pope hopes to make a decision on his future next week, pending good news on his test scores, and Ohio State is in a great spot. Especially with Mitchell in the fold, as the two live about an hour and a half away from each other.

“We went to The Opening [Regional in Charlotte] together,” Pope said. “We're pretty cool, and we know that we'll be great there. Knowing him will only make us better as a unit, but we'll be great beside each other.”

Pope is rarely mentioned alongside Ohio State linebacker targets Solomon Tuliaupupu, Christopher Oats, Michael Harris and even Xavier Peters. But I'm telling you now, don't be surprised if Davis gets his third win on the recruiting trail fairly soon.

ANOTHER OUT-OF-NOWHERE COMMIT?

Just a few weeks after he earned a scholarship offer from Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano and defensive line coach Larry Johnson, Blairstown, New Jersey, three-star defensive end Jayson Oweh told Eleven Warriors he'll make his first trip to Columbus for the Buckeyes' June 9 one-day position camp.

“[I'm looking forward to seeing] just how coach [Urban] Meyer is in person on a personal level, the campus of course and the defensive line meetings and the way the defensive line is coached,” he said.

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Oweh is considered the 14th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 391 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, though he's only played one year of organized football. He recorded 42 tackles, seven sacks and five tackles for a loss for the Bucs last season. He recently listed a Top 10 of Georgia Tech, Harvard, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are the two schools standing out right now.

“And that's off me not even visiting Ohio State,” Oweh said. “I think getting to see Ohio State and all it has to offer will really help me see where I'm at. Otherwise, I'm still trying to weight all my options.”

Oweh's stock has risen significantly following his performance at The Opening New Jersey Regional in April, as he was named the event's most valuable defensive lineman after posting a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 4.57-second shuttle, a 44.5 feet power ball throw and a 34.9-inch vertical leap. It'll be the school most genuine that'll gain his pledge, though.

“Just whatever schools proves they'll be patient with me during my learning curve,” Oweh said.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

The father of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blackman three-star running back Master Teague III told me his son will also be in attendance on Friday. It's his first trip to Columbus since a visit for spring practice in April.

The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Teague is considered the 25th-best running back and No. 501 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, but is also in for a ratings bump after posting a 4.31-second 40-yard dashing, a 40.7-inch vertical leap, and a 10-foot, 10-inch broad jump at Alabama's camp last weekend.

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.

As I've detailed numerous times, Teague recently listed a top three of Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee, but Ohio State has been on the verge of offering for quite some time. Running backs coach Tony Alford was in Tennessee twice this spring to watch him practice. 

“Alford has already given Urban his blessing,” a source close to Teague told Eleven Warriors. “Urban and [offensive coordinator Kevin] Wilson just want to see it for themselves now.”

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