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.
PLACING MY CHIPS HERE
Ohio State continues to leave no stone left unturned in its search for a quarterback, with nearly a dozen offers out to signal callers all over the country. But it’s a local prospect who mind soon find himself in the thick of things.
“I have been talking to Coach [Ryan] Day and Coach [Corey] Dennis the past couple weeks and plan on going to a spring practice early in March,” Kettering Archbishop Alter three-star quarterback Connor Bazelak told Eleven Warriors. “[I’m looking forward to] getting to know the coaches more, learning more about their offense and find out how interested they are.”
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Bazelak is considered the 16th-best pro-style quarterback and No. 601 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he threw for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Knights to their 17th-consecutive playoff appearance last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Boston College, Kentucky, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and West Virginia, but an opportunity to play for the Buckeyes would be nothing short of a dream come true.
“It’s one of the best football programs in the country and in my home state,” Bazelak said.
Bazelak has been to campus several times as a fan, but this is his first trip to Columbus in a recruiting capacity. Given Ohio State’s approach with in-state prospects, I don’t anticipate an offer will be extended during this visit, but it’s certainly a possibility down the road as the two sides build a stronger relationship.
FIRST-HAND INFO
Playing alongside Ohio State linebacker signee Teradja Mitchell at Virginia Beach Bishop Sullivan last season, four-star cornerback Sheridan Jones quickly became one of the Buckeyes’ top underclassmen targets.
His recent reclassification has only ramped up his communication with the staff, and he has plans to visit Columbus for the first time this spring.
“I definitely need to get down there,” Jones told Rivals’ Adam Friedman. “I’ll try to get there for the Spring Game.”
The 6-foot, 165-pound Jones is now considered the 15th-best cornerback and No. 144 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 26 tackles, 10 pass break ups, two interceptions, one defensive touchdown, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for the Crusaders last season. He holds nearly 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, but Ohio State certainly stands out from afar.
“[It’s] a good athletic and academic school. It’s another school that’s at the top in both aspects of life,” Jones said, noting he talks with Meyer often about what the program offers on and off the field. “With Teradja going there, that’s a link I can use to see what’s going on down there, find out how they treat the players, and find out what the coaching staff really thinks about me.”
Jones also recently announced he will transfer to Maury, a public school in Norfolk made famous by Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.
DRIFTING APART
Former Ohio State assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs’ relationship with prospects in Michigan has been well-documented, and he’d grown particularly close with Saline three-star safety Myles “M.J.” Griffin over the last year.
“Every time I go to Ohio State, he always shows me love,” Griffin told Eleven Warriors last summer. “I really think he feels like I'm an Ohio State defensive back.”
Communication with the Buckeyes has grown spares in the month or so since Coombs took a job with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, though. So Griffith plans to get back on campus for another camp visit this spring to show new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch what he has to offer.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Griffin is considered the 87th-best safety and No. 1,207 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 14 tackles and one interception for the Hornets last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky and Louisville, while Michigan State and Purdue have also shown interest.
“I'm building some good relationships with coaches that have recruited me for years,” Griffin said.
An offer from Ohio State would — of course — be a game-changer for Griffin, who once told me his mom had a dream about him playing for the Buckeyes. If it doesn’t come, I imagine he’ll be lining up against them in a couple years instead.
