The Hurry Up: Ohio State Offers Texas Safety Bryson Washington While St. Louis Wideout Jameson Williams Discusses Upcoming Visit

NEXT IN LINE

With Texas and head coach Tom Herman seemingly on the verge of landing five-star cornerback Anthony Cook and overcoming his two-year relationship with Ohio State, the Buckeyes recognize it's going to be more difficult to recruit the Lone Star State moving forward.

The staff has to get its foot in the door with elite prospects even earlier, which is why they offered a scholarship on Thursday afternoon to Houston C.E. King sophomore safety Bryson Washington.

Truly Blessed To Receive An Offer From Ohio State University #BuckEyes @teamtexas7on7 @V7Npa @CoachTBarr @CEKing_Football pic.twitter.com/BpebXyBUU2

— Bryson Washington (@ChasingDream8) November 9, 2017

“It's a very special thing to receive an offer from Ohio State,” Washington told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Washington is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but is quickly becoming one of the most coveted prospects in the Class of 2020. In the last month alone, he's recorded two pick-sixes and landed offers from Alabama, Baylor, Louisville, LSU and Ole Miss.

Washington, who admitted he was a bit surprised when his coaches told him about the offer, is actually somewhat familiar with the Buckeyes. He visited campus — albeit briefly — a few years back.

“Just how the love is out there for one another,” Washington said when asked what stands out about Columbus. “It's a nice, comfortable area.”

I anticipate Washington will have offers from all corners of the country by the time things are said and done, and the Longhorns will undoubtedly enter the race sooner rather than later. But Ohio State has certainly put itself in a great position early with Thursday's offer.

BLAZING FAST

Ohio State is set to welcome a number of top prospects this weekend, none larger — literally and figuratively — that former Tennessee five-star offensive tackle commit Cade Mays.

That won't stop the staff from giving plenty of attention to underclassmen making their first trip to campus, though, as is the case for St. Louis Cardinal Ritter College Prep three-star wide receiver Jameson Williams.

“I'm just looking forward to a really great time,” Williams told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-2, 160-pound Williams is considered the 54th-best wide receiver and No. 362 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, but he's clearly in line for a ratings bump after he racked up 1,261 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns for the Lions this season. He holds nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Illinois, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan Sate, Missouri, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, UCLA and Wisconsin, which supports my thinking that he's severely underrated.

Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, wide receivers coach Zach Smith and director of player development Mark Pantoni have led the charge in Williams' recruitment since the staff offered him a scholarship in late August.

They're not only impressed by his big-play ability, but his speed, too. Williams broke former Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott's state record in the 300-meter hurdle this spring wih a time of 37.28 seconds. He was also clocked running a 10.54-second 100-meter dash.

Williams admits Ohio State is among his early leaders, but this weekend offers a chance for the Buckeyes to separate themselves from the pack a bit.

THE COMPETITION GETS TOUGHER

Last Friday saw several Ohio State commits play the last high school football game of their respective careers, as linebacker Dallas Gant, wide receiver L'Christian "Blue" Smith and cornerback Marcus Hooker all fell in the first round of the state playoffs.

Only tight end Jeremy Ruckert advanced, as he did a little bit of everything to help Lindenhurst to the Suffolk County Semifinals.

Now, the playoffs begin for several other pledges this evening. Quarterback Emory Jones looks to lead Heard County to their first state title in program history, while Blackman hopes to continue rolling through the postseason without running back Master Teague III.

The biggest game of the weekend, though, has to be IMG Academy and defensive tackle Taron Vincent against Bishop Sullivan and linebacker Teradja Mitchell. The Crusaders led the Ascenders in the fourth quarter last season, only to see the lead slip away late.

Can Bishop Sullivan avenge that loss and end IMG's three-year winning streak? Should be a good one.

A full list of games:

*Playoffs

Make sure to follow me on Twitter for links to some of tonight's matchups. And, as always, stay tuned to Eleven Warriors on Sunday morning for the Supreme '18 Tracker, which will recap the weekend's events.