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.
OHIO, THROUGH AND THROUGH
Ohio State landed a commitment this afternoon from Lexington four-star linebacker Cade Stover, a decision that had been expected from the time the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship last spring.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Stover has always wanted to play at Ohio State, but wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing out on something elsewhere since he’d rarely traveled far from the family farm.
“I wanted to see what was out there. I wanted to check out a couple other places before I decided,” Stover told Eleven Warriors. “Once I came back, there was no doubt I was ready.”
Stover — the fourth-best player in the state of Ohio for the Class of 2019 — unofficially visited Notre Dame and Penn State last summer, and traveled to Oklahoma in an official capacity for the Sooners’ Spring Game earlier this month.
“Oklahoma was the closest one, just because of the coaching staff. Coach [Lincoln] Riley and coach [Tim] Kish are good guys,” Stover said, “but the Buckeyes are the best program in the country.”
Stover plays a hybrid safety role for the Minutemen, but Ohio State has recruited him as an outside linebacker. He could potentially grow into a defensive end at the next level, but he and the staff haven’t talked much about Xs and Os.
“We just talked about getting me here first,” Stover said. “I’m sure these conversations will be more involved and more intense in the weeks to come, but until then, I’m coming in to play linebacker and fly around and do my thing.”
While playing for the Buckeyes was always the dream, it was the relationship that Stover was able to build with head coach Urban Meyer, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, linebackers coach Bill Davis and strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti that ultimately sealed the deal.
“It’s been great [getting to know them],” Stover said. “Those guys are literally family to me. We’ve known each other so long and I’ve been down there so many times, and each time we keep building our relationship and get closer and closer.”
That said, Stover plans to return to campus again this Wednesday. This time, though, it’ll be as an Ohio State commit.
HERE WE GO
With official visits to Ohio State and Texas in the rearview mirror, Austin Lake Travis five-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson announced last night he’ll make his highly anticipated decision between the two programs at 9 p.m. ET this evening.
Ill be announcing my commitment tomorrow, April 29th at 8PM via Twitter, and Instagram. #TTWFO
— Garrett Wilson (@GarrettWilson_V) April 28, 2018
We’ve detailed at length the 6-foot, 185-pound Wilson’s rise from new offer in December — when most viewed him first and foremost as freshman quarterback Matthew Baldwin’s teammate — to without a doubt the staff’s top target at the wide receiver position. And with a decision coming in a little over two hours, only one question remains: Buckeyes or Longhorns?
Wilson admitted earlier this week the programs were on pretty even ground. He has a great relationship with both staffs, went to high school with players on both teams and could find a quick path to the field in Austin or Columbus. He couldn’t go wrong with either.
Proximity certainly favors Texas. But as someone who grew up in Dublin rooting for Ohio State and attended games in Ohio Stadium until his parents moved to the Lone Star State when he was in sixth grade, the opportunity to return home and play in front of family and friends who remain in the area gives the Buckeyes the emotional advantage.
I gathered that from my first conversation with Wilson back in December, which is why I was the first person to place my 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in favor of Ohio State. It has remained through several trips to Texas and was only strengthened with an official and an unofficial visit to Columbus over the last month.
If Wilson does pledge his services to the Buckeyes this evening, he’ll be the highest-rated wide receiver commit in program history and one tremendous win for head coach Urban Meyer over his former protégé, Tom Herman.
GRINCH'S GUY
Ohio State landed a surprise commitment on Saturday afternoon when Potomac, Maryland, The Bullis School three-star safety Bryson Shaw flipped his pledge from Wisconsin.
Shaw’s decision came just days after a visit from Buckeyes co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch and was heavily influenced by a desire to play closer to home. He has a family member with a health issue, which we’d rather not discuss out of respect to him and his family.
That is not the only reason Shaw chose Ohio State, however.
"There is not much to not like," Shaw told 247Sports’ Brian Dohn. "I wanted a college that had a top football program and great academics. Coach Meyer has put together a second-to-none four-to-six week internship for his players with the top companies in the country.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Shaw had been committed to the Badgers since late January, but an offer from the Buckeyes one week later was an eye-opener. He was already familiar with campus following an unofficial visit for the win over Penn State in October, but Grinch’s persistence over the last few months put the program over the top.
“It is just a great fit for many reasons. I wanted to compete with the best and they get the best football players and play the best in the country,” Shaw said. “Coach Grinch is special. He is one of the best young coaches in the country. I trust him and his enthusiasm and trust in me is humbling. I can’t wait to make him realize his faith in me and my ability. I won’t let him down. I wish I could get to work now.”
ALREADY MAKING AN IMPACT
Ohio State was well-represented the North-South Classic in Massillon on Saturday afternoon, with preferred walk-on wide receiver Xavier Johnson taking home the game’s most valuable player honors.
2018 Ohio State preferred walk-on and Cincinnati Summit Country Day wide receiver Xavier Johnson is named the MVP of the North-South All-Star Classic this afternoon at Massillon, Ohio. He had more than 150 yards receiving and two touchdowns, including a 69-yard TD grab. pic.twitter.com/IdLfAnUyEd
— Ryan McGlade (@rmcglade24) April 28, 2018
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Johnson — from Summit Country Day in Cincinnati — hauled in six catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns to lead the South to a 42-20 win over the North.
Johnson, a three-star prospect, accepted a preferred walk-on opportunity with the Buckeyes over scholarship offers from Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio and Western Kentucky.
Preferred walk-on running back Daniel Bangura (Canal Winchester Harvest Prep) also played a vital role in the South’s win, as he rushed for 25 yards and two scores. Walk-on linebacker Ben Schmiesing (Piqua) recorded nine tackles, while three-star defensive end signee Alex Williams added a handful of his own for the South’s defense.
