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.
ADAPTING TO THE ENVIRONMENT
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer was an outspoken opponent of college football's early signing period when it was first proposed, as it significantly alters the Buckeyes' strategy to identify and offer in-state prospects or flip committed players later in the process. And though he's since lightened his stance, as it does allow official visits to occur during a player's junior season, Meyer still believes it creates challenges for him and his staff.
“During the season has not changed much. It’s going to be these next weeks that are going to be something,” Meyer said.
With the Buckeyes focused on beating Illinois and Michigan to get to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, Meyer is leaning heavily on director of player personnel Mark Pantoni, assistant Eron Hodges and the rest of the recruiting staff right now.
“It's critical that I have an excellent guy in charge,” he said,
National Signing Day in February has always been a spectacle, but it appears that the early signing period will take away most of the pomp and circumstance. Meyer anticipates programs will have as much as 95 percent of their recruiting class signed by the turn of the calendar year, which will present a unique approach for the final two months of the recruiting cycle.
“That's going to be interesting,” Meyer said. “How does that affect us? It'll affect us because — a lot of times — we have to wait because of who's leaving for the NFL Draft, and then sometimes we'll go try to flip a player because we just don't have one available yet and you can go get them. [In this situation,] those guys might sign with another schools so that we can't go get them. It's going to be intriguing how this is going to impact [college football].
“It's going to impact a lot of schools in a lot of different ways,” he continued. “I'm not worried about the other schools. I'm worried about how it's going to impact us, and I'm not sure it's good. We'll see what happens, but now is not the time to have the debate. It's done, so let's do the best we can.”
A FITTING REACTION
Continuing to take advantage of the turmoil at Tennessee, Ohio State offered a scholarship on Wednesday night to former Volunteers three-star wide receiver commit Shocky Jacques-Louis.
Blessed to have received an offer Ohio St. University pic.twitter.com/bDfmJhpxgc
— Shocky Jacques-louis (@ShockyMVP) November 15, 2017
“It means the world to me,” Jacques-Louis told Eleven Warriors. “This is one of the schools people dream to go to.”
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Jacques-Louis is considered the 94th-best wide receiver and No. 538 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he's racked up 1,298 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns in his two-year varsity career at Fort Myers Dunbar. He pledged his services to Tennessee in August over more than two dozen other programs such as Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, UCF and USF, but reopened his recruitment after the Volunteers fired head coach Butch Jones on Sunday.
Wide receivers coach Zach Smith immediately reached out to Jacques-Louis to gauge his interest in the Buckeyes.
“It was definitely a shock,” he said.
Jacques-Louis has taken official visits to Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee this fall, and Michigan State has made quite the push in recent weeks to get him to East Lansing. Ohio State, meanwhile, is hoping to lock up St. Louis four-star Kamryn Babb and another wide receiver this cycle, so there's a chance he makes his first trip to Columbus in the coming weeks.
THIRD TIME’S A CHARM?
On Wednesday night, Belleview, Florida, four-star offensive tackle Michael Tarquin told Eleven Warriors he will visit Ohio State for this weekend’s game against Illinois. It’ll be his third time on campus this season.
The Buckeyes offered the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Tarquin — who is considered the 18th-best offensive tackle and No. 151 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — a scholarship during an unofficial visit in May, and he’s become especially close to offensive line coach Greg Studrawa in the months since. He attended games against Oklahoma and UNLV in September and nearly committed to the staff following the blowout win over the Rebels.
“I just want to finish the process [and] make sure it is the right choice,” Tarquin said.
That still remains the plan, so don’t expect a #BOOM this weekend. Instead, expect a decision among Clemson, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State this winter or next spring.
MAYS AND WRAYS, OH MY
Ohio State has made another former Tennessee commit, five-star offensive tackle Cade Mays, one of its top remaining targets for the current recruiting cycle.
If the staff eventually pulls the surprise of a lifetime and he ends up in Columbus, there's no doubt they'll have a leg up on his younger brother, Cooper Mays, to whom the Buckeyes offered a scholarship on Wednesday night.
Blessed to receive an offer from THE Ohio State University! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/FF3TqfGcNf
— Cooper Mays (@CooperMays) November 15, 2017
The 6-foot-2, 236-pound Mays is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but it should go without saying he'll be among the most sought-after prospects in the country for the Class of 2020. In addition to Ohio State, he holds offers from Georgia and Tennessee.
It's certainly a wise strategy.
AN ALTERNATE ROUTE
On Thursday afternoon, Ohio State offered a preferred walk-on spot to Erie Community College running back Michael Johnson.
Thankful God has allowed me to receive the opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career at THE Ohio State University!! #GoBucks #Buckeyes H- pic.twitter.com/6SHxA04Eya
— Mikey Johnson (@mikeyj1297) November 16, 2017
“It means a lot,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Johnson graduated from London — halfway between Columbus and Dayton — in 2016, but elected to take the junior college route after high school. He rushed for 393 yards and five touchdowns in two seasons with the Kats.
“It is a good program for helping athletes academically and athletically prepare for the next level, and it helped me get to where I'm at now,” Johnson said.
Erie head coach Scott Pilkey played an instrumental role in Johnson's offer, as he recently sent film of his star running back to the Ohio State staff.
“They thought I was more than good enough to be a part of their team and offered me this opportunity,” Johnson said.
Now presented with the chance of a lifetime, Johnson didn't hesitate when asked if he was going to accept the offer.
“I'm going to take it,” he said. “It's always been a dream of mine to be an Ohio State Buckeye.”
