The Hurry Up: Top In-State Linebacker Talks Recent Visit While Saturday's Camp Will Be the Most Star-Studded of the Spring

By Andrew Lind on June 16, 2017 at 7:15 pm
Jamir Thomas
Jamir Thomas
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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.

ABOUT TO BLOW UP

One of the Midwest's top prospects, Massillon Washington four-star linebacker Jamir Thomas, was among the nearly 300 prospects in attendance at Ohio State's one-day camp on Tuesday.

“A lot of room to improve, but it went good today,” Thomas told reporters gathered outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I love it at Ohio State. It was a good eye-opener competing against guys from all over the country.”

The 6-foot, 212-pound Thomas is considered the sixth-best linebacker and No. 226 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 39 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one forced fumbles for the Tigers last season. He holds nine offers from programs such as Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and West Virginia, but certainly covets one from Ohio State.

“Being from Ohio, [an offer] would definitely push them up in my Top 3,” Thomas said.

Thomas spent most of the day inside the facility with linebackers coach Bill Davis and fellow linebacker targets K'Vaughan Pope and Cade Stover, among others. That means the staff believes he was one of the top prospects at the camp.

“They told me to just keep on improving, keep on getting better and keep on coming up here,” Thomas said.

WAIT AND SEE

The Buckeyes also welcomed Big Stone Gap, Virginia, Union three-star tight end James Mitchell to campus for Tuesday's camp.

“About a month or so ago, [offensive coordinator] Kevin Wilson contacted me and said he liked my tapes and wanted me to get up here and let coach [Urban] Meyer take a look at me. Just go out there and compete,” Mitchell said. “He said he thought I did well. I thought I performed pretty well. He said he's going to call me back once they look at the tape.”

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Mitchell is considered the seventh-best player in the Commonwealth and No. 343 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he finished his junior season with 43 receptions for 728 yards and eight touchdowns and 124 yards and two more scores on the ground. He holds nearly 20 offers from programs such as Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Virginia Tech, but hopes his performance leads to an offer from the Buckeyes.

“Just the rich tradition around the program, that's pretty much enough in itself [to stand out],” Mitchell said. “Once I got here and seen the campus, that pretty much sold itself. Just as you walk through the indoor [facility], just the tradition and all the great players and coaches that have been here.”

Mitchell hopes to narrow down his choices before his senior season, but has no timetable for a final decision. He mentioned life after football and his relationship with the coaching staff as the biggest factors in his eventual decision.

“I didn't get an offer, but if I do, this would obviously be a place I'd like to come back and check out a game,” Mitchell said. “Just hopefully continue to grow a relationship with all the coaches.”

THE BEGINNING STAGES

San Diego St. Augustine four-star cornerback Isaac Taylor-Stuart included Ohio State in his Top 16 on Thursday evening alongside Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, USC, Utah and Washington

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Taylor-Stuart is considered the fifth-best cornerback and No. 32 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he led the Saints with 13 pass break ups and three interceptions last season. The Trojans are considered the heavy favorite in his recruitment, but he's also previously acknowledged his desire to play alongside Buckeyes' safety commit Jaiden Woodbey.

Stuart-Taylor is nowhere close to making a decision on his future. If Ohio State strikes out with Houston five-star cornerback Anthony Cook or Florida four-stars Tyson Campbell and Houston Griffith, the staff could certainly put the pressure on Stuart-Taylor this fall.

A LOSS FOR WORDS

Wilson was in Texas during the recent spring evaluation period, at which time he stopped by Mansfield Legacy to see four-star safety Jalen Catalon. On Thursday, he called Mansfield's coach to inform him the Buckeyes were offering a scholarship to Catalon.

“It was kind of something that caught me off guard,” Catalon told Eleven Warriors. “I was very excited. Almost speechless because Ohio State is a powerhouse school, and I'm just blessed to be offered by them.”

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Catalon is considered the seventh-best safety and No. 139 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 183 tackles, nine interception and seven tackles for a loss to lead the Broncos to the fourth round of the state playoffs for the first time in school history. He was named the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Defensive Player of the Year, Associated Press Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year and the District 10-5A Defensive Player of the Year as a result.

Catalon holds a dozen offers from programs such as Clemson, Duke, Missouri, Oklahoma, Stanford and TCU. He hopes to make it to campus for the first time this fall.

DON'T JUST ASSUME

I introduced you yesterday to Collinsville, Oklahoma, four-star tight end Grayson Boomer, who had just earned a scholarship offer from Ohio State following an unofficial visit on Wednesday afternoon.

“The visit was great,” Boomer told Eleven Warriors. “[I] got to meet some great coaches and see some great players.”

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Boomer, is considered the top-rated tight end and No. 18 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, spent most of his time on campus with Meyer and Wilson.

“[Coach Wilson] treated my family and I very well,” he said.

Boomer holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Arkansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas. Of course, everyone just assumes he'll end up with the Sooners based on his name alone, but that's certainly not the case.

“I'm going to go where I feel most comfortable and where I think I can get the best coaching to get into the league,” Boomer said.

INCOMING #BOOM(S)?

Ohio State will host its final one-day camp on Saturday, and it'll easily be the most star-studded of the three camps this spring. As of 7 o'clock Friday night, the list of expected attendees includes:

*Haven't been offered yet

Of those names, four stand out above the rest: Harris, Jones, Knox and Smith.

This date has been circled on the calendar for quite some time for Harris, who has long said he'd commit to Ohio State the moment he received the necessary test scores. But in the meantime, the Buckeyes have landed commitments from four-star linebackers Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant and have zeroed in on the aforementioned Pope.

Four-star Solomon Tuliaupupu — who was also expected to be in attendance but will not make it because of travel issues — remains a top target, as well.

So where does that leave Harris? It should go without saying he has to be at the top of his game this weekend if he hopes to eventually play in Columbus. A subpar performance at camp would likely mean he goes home without committing, and the chances of him returning will be slim to none.

Jones, meanwhile, has kept his recruitment rather close to the vest. Ohio State has always been considered his favorite, and some felt he may even commit to the staff during a campus visit earlier this spring.

The staff really likes his versatility, as he can play both along the offensive and defensive line. Figuring out where he'll play in college is a good problem to have. Again, if the staff pushes for his pledge, I expect it to happen this weekend. If not, Friday Night Lights in late July seems to be the target date.

Knox, the teammate of recent running back commit Master Teague III, is making his second trip to Ohio State this spring with his parents and sister. They met with Meyer at that time, and running backs coach Tony Alford was in Tennessee twice this spring to meet with his coaches and watch him practice.

“He's nearly a lock to Ohio State,” a source told Eleven Warriors last month. “Florida was his childhood school, but they don't cover their bases like Ohio State's staff. Nobody does it like [director of player personnel Mark] Pantoni and Urban, and it's not close. Their whole life seems to be recruiting.”

That same source doesn't expect Knox to make the call until he returns to campus for the game against Oklahoma this fall. But if he has a big camp on Saturday, the staff could push for his commitment. Landing a player of his caliber would get the Class of 2019 started with a bang.

Smith isn't expected to make a decision his future until July, but Ohio State jumped back into the lead in his recruitment following his one-on-one sit down with Meyer in early May. If the staff pushes for his commitment this weekend, I could see him making the call.

The only real threat in Smith's recruitment is Kentucky. But with Meyer putting to rest the narrative he'd be best suited to play tight end at the next level, the chances he ends up with the Wildcats have decreased dramatically.

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