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.
QUICK TURNAROUND
Just a little over a week after he landed an offer from Ohio State, Chicago Phillips Academy four-star tight end Jahleel Billingsley included the Buckeyes in his Top 7 on Tuesday night alongside Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Ole Miss, Penn State and TCU.
Top 7!! No Particular Order. #GoFrogs#GoBlue#GoBucks#WeAre#ILLGang19 #HottyToddy#GoGators pic.twitter.com/Qn4NgdqbJY
— JahleelBillingsley (@JahleelKnowsss) March 14, 2018
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Billingsley is considered the ninth-best tight end and No. 260 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 14 receptions for 243 yards and three touchdowns to help the Wildcats to the state title last season.
Billingsley has been in contact with offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson, naturally, and is eyeing his first trip to campus later this spring. It appears he and Arizona three-star Brayden Liebrock are among the staff’s top targets at the position, and their upcoming visits — Liebrock is set to attend next Friday’s practice — could go a long way in determining which prospect the Buckeyes likely choose to be their lone tight end this cycle.
HAVE TO BET ON THE BEST LINE COACH IN THE COUNTRY
Wichita, Kansas, Northwest four-star defensive end Marcus Hicks included Ohio State in his Top 12 on Tuesday evening alongside Florida, Kansas State, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to get a degree and play football at the next level. In no specific order, these are my top schools at this time. Thank you to all the coaches who believe in me. I am truly grateful. Marcus Hicks pic.twitter.com/vKBqNI7bwA
— Marcus Hicks (@harcus_micks) March 13, 2018
The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Hicks is considered the 16th-best defensive end and No. 255 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 59 tackles, 18.5 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks to help the Grizzlies to the state semifinals last season. He was among the most impressive performers at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Combine, as well, where he ran a 4.9-second 40-yard dash and was virtually unblockable in one-on-one drills.
Hicks has a strong relationship with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, which dates back to his first and only time on campus for a one-day camp last June. Johnson visited with Northwest head coach Steve Martin in November, at which time he extended an offer to Hicks.
“Marcus loves the facilities and the tradition they have and how they develop lineman, but coach Johnson really stands out,” Hicks’ father, Kelvin, told Varsity Kansas shortly thereafter. “He’s a man of men. He carries himself very professionally and stands out differently than a lot of the other coaches. I know Marcus was blown away by the offer.”
Hicks hasn’t set any official visits and doesn’t have a timeline for a decision, but the Sooners have been pegged as an early favorite in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. I wouldn’t discount the Buckeyes’ chances, though, as academics and relationships are among the most important factors in his recruitment — and it’s clear Johnson has made quite the impression.
VOLUNTEER STATE SHOWDOWN
Nashville Christ Presbyterian Academy four-star linebacker Kane Patterson has scheduled his first trip back to campus since Ohio State offered him a scholarship in January.
“[I’m going to] Tennessee on March 23 and Ohio State on the 30th,” Patterson told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Patterson is considered the 13rd-best outside linebacker and No. 181 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 64 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a blocked field goal and rushed for 1,003 yards and 23 touchdowns to lead the Lions to the state semifinals as a junior. He’s seen his stock rise considerably over the last few months, and now holds two dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Cincinnati, Duke, LSU, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
As mentioned, Patterson was also in attendance for the Buckeyes' 31-16 loss to the Sooners last September. He was blown away by the atmosphere and overall experience despite the circumstances, and has built a strong bond from afar with head coach Urban Meyer, linebackers coach Bill Davis and running backs coach and area recruiter Tony Alford since.
”We talk about every other day,” he said.
This visit will allow him to spend more time with them and see more of what the program has to offer, rather than the brief encounters that come along with a game day visit.
ROLLING THE DICE
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, addressing a lack of depth along the offensive line is without a doubt Ohio State’s top priority right now. And though they already hold commitments from two offensive tackles in four-stars Ryan Jacoby and Doug Nester — either of which could eventually slide to guard — the Buckeyes could potentially take as many as six players in the trenches this recruiting cycle.
With that said, the pool of prospective candidates has to be large. And that’s why offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and director of player personnel Mark Pantoni recently reached out to Ventura College offensive tackle Jacob Gamble.
“They’ve just been asking me about setting up a visit in the summer and [telling me] stuff about the team and the program,” Gamble told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound Gamble is a native of Doylestown and graduated from Chippewa High in 2015. He was third-team all-state for the Chipps, but was not very highly recruited and opted to take the junior college route after a few years away from the game.
Gamble selected Ventura because of former offensive line coach Ryan Clangon, a three-time captain at Oregon who recently accepted the same job at Northern Iowa.
“He convinced me that he would be able to mold me into a Division I lineman and I think he gave me everything I needed to do exactly that,” Gamble said. “Technique was a big issue with me before. I always played too high and my pass set was garbage in high school.”
Now that he’s set to be among the most sought-after junior college prospects in the Class of 2018 and have two years of eligibility remaining, Gamble would love nothing more than to have to opportunity to play for his childhood favorite team.
“I hope to grow a good connection with them and obviously receive an offer,” Gamble said. “Ohio State is my dream school.”
