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.
NOTHING NEEDS SAID
As I mentioned in Friday’s edition of The Hurry Up, Atlanta Marist three-star safety Kyle Hamilton made an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.
Had a great time at Ohio State today! pic.twitter.com/KVZXQOs29E
— Kyle Hamilton (@kham316) March 9, 2018
“It was great,” Hamilton told Eleven Warriors. “It was one of my better visits. I got to meet with the dean of the business school, so that was a cool experience.”
The 6-foot-3, 188-pound Hamilton is considered the 68th-best safety and No. 921 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 30 tackles and four interceptions to lead the War Eagles to the state championship game last season. He holds more than 30 offers from programs such as Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Stanford and Vanderbilt.
While he was on campus, Hamilton spent time with co-defensive coordinator coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa.
“We didn't talk much about football, which was pretty unique,” Hamilton said. “We talked about life and what Ohio State could offer me beyond football. We talked about football for a little, obviously, but I think the program speaks for itself.”
Urban Meyer was attending a fundraiser, so he wasn’t able to meet with Hamilton. But the Buckeyes’ head coach did check in over the phone to make sure his visit went well.
“[He] just was telling how I would be a good fit,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton doesn’t plan on taking official visits until the fall, but Ohio State will certainly be in the running for one of his five.
FREQUENT FLYER MILES
Honolulu St. Louis five-star defensive tackle Faatuiolemotu “Faatui” Tuitele announced last month he was looking to take an unofficial visit to Ohio State, but didn't have an exact date in mind.
As I alluded to in yesterday's story about states that have never produced a Buckeye, though, Eleven Warriors has since learned he'll be on campus on April 6.
The 6-foot-4, 299-pound Tuitele is considered the second-best defensive tackle and No. 23 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, and was named first-team all-state after he recorded 22 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and seven sacks while leading he Crusaders to their second-straight state championship. He holds more than 30 offers from programs such as Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Stanford, UCLA and USC.
The Trojans are considered the favorite in Tuitele's recruitment thus far thanks to proximity and the program's pull with Polynesian prospects, but Meyer and defensive line coach Larry Johnson have been leading the charge for the Buckeyes. Their persistence played a key role in pulling four-star defensive tackle Tommy Togiai out of Idaho last cycle, and it's hard to discount their efforts in this situation — especially since Tuitele has already shown a willingness to travel 4,500 miles to Columbus on his own dime this spring.
The defensive tackle position isn't as much of a priority for the staff as it was then, but I expect Tuitele to pick up an offer next month and Ohio State receive an official visit this fall.
THE EARLY LEADER?
In the midst of an offer flurry in early February, Ohio State assistant coach Tony Alford extended an offer to Lakeland, Florida, running back Demarkcus Bowman.
“[It’s a] big-time dream come true,” Bowman told Eleven Warriors. “[I’ve] been dreaming about an offer from Ohio State for a long time and now that I got it, words cannot explain.”
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Bowman is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but already holds offers from 14 programs such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee. He rushed for 1,136 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Dreadnaughts last season.
Bowman has never been to campus, but plans to make his first trip to Columbus this spring. He grew up rooting for the Buckeyes, though, and an early commitment wouldn't be entirely out of the question.
TAKE IN THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Malvern, Pennsylvania, Prep three-star linebacker Keith Maguire Jr. told Eleven Warriors he’ll make his first trip to campus on March 23.
“[I’m looking forward to] just seeing what it’s like and having some good quality time with the coaches,” Maguire said. “Really get a feel for what it’s like.”
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Maguire is considered the 27th-best outside linebacker and No. 424 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, and earned first-team all-conference honors at both linebacker and wide receiver after he recorded 170 tackles, three interceptions and five sacks and hauled in 19 passes for 278 yards and five more scores for the Friars last season. He holds 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
The Buckeyes extended an offer to Maguire back in early February, and Meyer, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day, and linebackers coach Bill Davis have kept in touch with him since.
“It’s definitely a great relationship,” Maguire said, noting a lot of the conversation revolves around the program’s long history of producing elite linebackers. “Definitely a big sign they’re doing the right thing there.”
LEARN FROM THE BEST
Another prospect eyeing a visit this spring is Cedar Hill, Texas, Trinity Christian four-star safety Lewis Cine, who recently announced he’ll be transferring from Everett, Massachusetts, for his senior season. It would be his first trip to Columbus since Ohio State offered him a scholarship in October.
“I just haven’t put it in my schedule yet,” Cine told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Cine is considered the third-best safety and No. 37 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 65 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick to lead the Crimson Tide to the state championship while allowing just four points per game last season. He holds more than 30 offers from programs such as Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, Texas, USC and Virginia Tech.
Cine — who was born in Haiti and moved to the United States when he was 5 years old — didn’t specify a reason for his transfer. But now he gets to learn from NFL legend Deion Sanders, who is an assistant with the Tigers when he’s not working for CBS Sports and the NFL Network.
