The Hurry Up: Ohio State Makes Wide Receiver Marcus Washington A Priority While Cornerback Warren Burrell Lists Buckeyes Among Top Schools

By Andrew Lind on May 9, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Marcus Washington
Marcus Washington
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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.

CERTAIN TO MAKE THE CUT

There’s no doubt former running back Ezekiel Elliott’s performance in the 2015 College Football Playoff has opened doors for Ohio State in his hometown of St. Louis.

It finally began to pay dividends last cycle when the Buckeyes landed commitments from two of Missouri’s top-rated prospects in four-star receivers Kamryn Babb and Cameron Brown (though the latter will switch to defensive back when he arrives on campus next month).

The staff hopes to keep that presence well into the future, which is why they’ll participate in a satellite campus at Lindenwood University — just about a half hour outside of St. Louis — in early June. And one of the prospects expected to attend is Trinity Catholic four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington, who could very well be Ohio State’s next pledge from the Show Me State.

“Ohio State probably recruits me the heaviest out of all the schools,” Washington told Eleven Warriors. “They’re always texting me, checking up on me, even if it isn’t about football. I get along with their coaches really well, and it’s one of the few programs whose whole staff communicates with me. In the football aspect, Ohio State will always be good and they seem to always get people in the league.”

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Washington is considered the 10th-best wide receiver and No. 62 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he’s hauled in 97 catches for 1,894 yards and 33 touchdowns in his three-year varsity career with the Titans. He included the Buckeyes in his Top 10 back in March alongside Alabama, Florida State, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and USC. 

Washington has been to campus twice, including Friday Night Lights last July and the loss to the Sooners in September. He plans to return again the weekend of May 26 for an unofficial visit.

“I loved Ohio State both times I was up there. The fans love football as much as the players, and the atmosphere on game day is crazy,” Washington said, noting he’s looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with head coach Urban Meyer and wide receivers coach Zach Smith. “It’s always good seeing and talking to them.”

Washington is set to cut his list in half of Sunday, and the Buckeyes are certain to make the cut. He hopes to make a decision sometime this summer or before the start of his senior season.

LOSE ONE, GAIN ANOTHER?

Suwanee, Georgia, North Gwinnett three-star cornerback Warren Burrell included Ohio State in his Top 7 on Wednesday morning alongside Florida, Georgia, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee.

The 6-foot, 166-pound Burrell is considered the 38th-best cornerback and No. 409 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 26 tackles, 11 pass break ups, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one pick-six to lead the Bulldogs to the state championship last fall.

Burrell visited Columbus for the first and only time for the Buckeyes’ 48-3 win over Michigan State last November. However, it’s the home-state Bulldogs are the favorite to land his commitment.

LIKELY FUTURE TEAMMATES

Late Monday evening, Ohio State offered a scholarship to Orange, California, Lutheran four-star wide receiver Kyle Ford.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Ford is considered the seventh-best wide receiver and No. 43 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 91 catches for 1,468 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Lancers last season. He holds nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Arizona State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, USC and Washington.

The Trojans are considered the favorite in his recruitment at this point in time, naturally.

That said, Ford’s offer came just hours after another wide receiver with similar attributes — Arizona four-star wide receiver Jake Smith — eliminated the Buckeyes from his recruitment. He listed Texas and USC as his Final 2, with a decision to come sometime this summer.

RUSHMAN REUBEN 

After he checked on Kansas four-star defensive end Marcus Hicks Tuesday morning, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson traveled to Riverside, Missouri, to offer a scholarship to Park Hill South three-star defensive end Etinosa Reuben.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Reuben is considered the 27th-best strong-side defensive end and No. 415 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 27 tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks and once forced fumble for the Panthers last fall. He holds almost 20 offers from programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.

STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT SUPER BOWL XXXVII

Ohio State extended a scholarship offer on Tuesday evening to Watkinsville, Georgia, Oconee County four-star quarterback Max Johnson, the son of Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson.

The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Johnson is considered the third-best pro-style quarterback and No. 69 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he threw for 1,918 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead the Warriors to the state playoffs last season. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.

WHAT A NAME

Last but not least, Ohio State also handed out an offer on Tuesday afternoon to Atlanta Carver four-star running back Jo’Quavious Marks.

The 5-foot-11, 169-pound Marks is considered the 12th-best running back and No. 122 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as carried the ball 208 times for 2,127 yards and 19 touchdowns to lead the Panthers to the state semifinals last fall. He holds early offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Syracuse and Tennessee.

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