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.
RISK VERSUS REWARD
There's no denying Ohio State puts itself in a precarious position by hosting its biggest recruiting weekend of the season for a game that could easily result in a loss. But when the Buckeyes come out on top — just like they did against Penn State on Saturday — the risk head coach Urban Meyer and his staff takes is rewarded tenfold.
“If we scored two points less, it would have been awful,” Meyer said during his weekly press conference on Monday, which recapped the 39-38 win over the Nittany Lions. “It's huge. Are you kidding me? I mean, I often look at players and I'll tell them, 'Here is our recruiting pitch. Do you want in or not?'”
Now it's true that one win isn't going to sway a recruit's decision, nor will one loss turn them away from the program entirely. But you have to admit, a thrilling come-from-behind victory like that — one in which the fans are engaged throughout and ends with everyone rushing the field — is going to leave a lasting impression.
A blowout win over an overmatched opponent isn't going to be memorable, which is why Ohio State will continue to invite dozens of recruits to the biggest game of the season every year.
“You're in the locker room. You met our players. We're a good, clean program that does things the right way. And they play their tails off,” Meyer said, explaining the typical recruiting approach. “[The recruit] is looking for something else. So that's what these kind of games do in those kind of moments.”
DECISION COMING SOON?
That message continues to resonate with top-rated prospects, including Oak Park, Michigan, four-star offensive guard Justin Rogers.
"It was crazy,” Rogers told Eleven Warriors. “That was the best game."
The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Rogers is considered the top-rated offensive guard and No. 25 prospect overall in the Class of 2020. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Arizona, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Tennessee.
This marked Rogers' fourth trip to campus since June, and he plans to return for the Buckeyes' final two home games, as well. There's clearly a strong mutual interest between the two parties, and a growing sense around the program he's hoping to make a decision sooner rather than later. Maybe even within the month.
"I like the campus, good coaching staff and people surrounding you,” Rogers said.
WHO SAW THIS COMING?
If I told you this summer there would not be a featured article at the top of Eleven Warriors dot com when Pennsylvania five-star defensive end Micah Parsons set his announcement date, you would have called me crazy. After all, Ohio State was widely considered the favorite to secure his pledge following his decommitment from Penn State in late April.
But half a dozen visits over the course of a year, a strong bond with several commits and all the talent in the world wasn’t enough for the staff to overlook maturity concerns and relationships off the field, and both parties have gone their separate ways as a result. The last straw, it seemed, was when Parsons publicly advocated for a change at the quarterback position following the Buckeyes’ 31-16 loss to Oklahoma in September.
There has been very little communication between him and Ohio State in the months since.
In the meantime, the Nittany Lions have welcomed him bank to campus with open arms and are in the driver’s seat to land a rare re-commitment on Dec. 20, the first day of the new early signing period.
My commitment is December 20th all glory to god
— BLESSEDMVP (@Micah_parsons23) October 31, 2017
Parsons has also visited Nebraska and Oklahoma this fall, with his announcement coming just days after a trip to Norman. Given the turmoil in Lincoln, it’s a safe bet to say the Sooners are the only threat to Penn State at this point in time.
REVERBERATING IMPACT
Oklahoma has made a lot of noise on the recruiting trail since head coach Lincoln Riley took over for Bob Stoops this summer. In fact, he may be the biggest reason rumors of a flip continue to surround Ohio State safety commits Josh Proctor and Jaiden Woodbey.
It appears, however, the Sooners have positioned themselves to land another elite safety in IMG Academy four-star Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles, who decommitted from Nebraska on Tuesday evening.
— .44 (@Bookie_44) November 1, 2017
Clemson, Oregon and UCLA are all lurking in the shadows, with the last two hoping to secure an official visit later this season. But given the timing of the announcement, Oklahoma has to be considered the leader in the clubhouse.
The Sooners already hold commitments from three other safeties, so you have to imagine going all-out for Radley-Hiles’ pledge means they’ve given up on bringing on Proctor and Woodbey. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
