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.
ANY ROOM LEFT AT THE INN?
Ohio State already holds commitments from three of the nation’s top-rated junior offensive linemen in Cincinnati St. Xavier five-star tackle Paris Johnson Jr., New Jersey four-star guard Luke Wypler and Georgia four-star tackle Jake Wray.
The Buckeyes are also among the top choices for Michigan five-star guard Justin Rogers, Colorado four-star tackle Reece Atteberry, Kansas four-star tackle Turner Corcoran and Georgia four-star offensive tackle Paul Tchio, who told Eleven Warriors he’ll visit Columbus for the first time in the coming weeks.
“[I’m looking forward to] meeting the whole coaching staff and getting a feel for the university,” Tchio told Eleven Warriors.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound Tchio — who hails from Alpharetta Milton — is considered the 14th-best offensive tackle and No. 119 prospect overall in the Class of 2020. He landed a scholarship offer from co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach/area recruiter Alex Grinch during the Spring Evaluation Period back in May, and he’s built a strong relationship from afar from offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson and offensive line coach Greg Studrawa.
“Coach Stud is a really cool dude,” Tchio said. “[There are] always laughs with him.”
Tchio holds nearly a dozen offers from some of the nation’s top programs, but named Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State as his Final 3. He visited the Crimson Tide and Tigers last month and hopes to make a decision soon after he sees what the Buckeyes have to offer.
“[The biggest factors will be] relationship with the offensive line coach, if could I see myself at the school if I wasn’t playing football and early playing time,” Tchio said.
ONE SIDE OF THE RIVALRY OR THE OTHER
Ohio State is set to host a number of top underclassmen when college football’s recruiting dead period comes to a close later this month, including Detroit Martin Luther King four-star wide receiver Rashawn Williams.
“I plan to be down there on July 27,” Williams told Eleven Warriors, noting he’ll make the one day visit with his mother and/or head coach.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Williams — who is considered the 21st-best wide receiver and No. 122 prospect overall in the Class of 2020, as he caught 26 passes for 433 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the Crusaders to the state semifinals last season — has been to Columbus numerous times since the Buckeyes offered him a scholarship during a one-day camp last summer. That includes the win over Michigan State in November and a brief visit while he was in town for a Rivals camp in early May.
Williams also met up with head coach Urban Meyer and director of player personnel Mark Pantoni during the Best of the Midwest satellite camp at Grand Valley State in June. He talks with wide receivers coach Zach Smith regularly, as well, so it’s easy to see why his relationship with the staff has really blossomed over the last year.
“It’s becoming great,” Williams said. “We talk about the 2020 commits sometimes, and when I get down there, we’ll talk more about the offense.”
Williams holds nearly two dozen scholarship offers from programs such as Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Kansas State, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Syracuse, but Ohio State undoubtedly sits within his Top 5.
“The relationship I have with some of the commits and the coaching staff [is a big reason why],” he said.
NEXT ONE DOWN THE CHUTE?
We’ve talked at length about Ohio State’s pipeline from Brooklyn Erasmus Hall, which began with H-Back Curtis Samuel in 2014 and continued with safety Jahsen Went and center Matthew Jones in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
The Buckeyes hope to continue that pattern of success well into the future, which is why they hosted several Dutchmen for a one-day camp last month. Among those in attendance, athlete Andre Hines Jr.
“It was fast and competitive,” Hines told Eleven Warriors. “I liked the competition. I think I did fantastic. Better than I expected.”
It’s easy to see similarities between Samuel and the 6-foot, 200-pound Hines, who worked with running backs coach Tony Alford all afternoon. He displayed natural quickness in individual drills, as well as the ability to make plays when asked to catch the ball out of the backfield.
“I learned a lot,” Hines said. “He worked with me a lot on my footwork.”
Hines — who transferred this summer from St. Peter’s Boys School on Staten Island — rushed for 561 yards and seven touchdowns for the Eagles last season. He’s also a track star who posted a sub-11-second 100-meter dash and and sub-21-second 200-meter dash at a meet this spring.
“My biggest strength is my speed,” Hines said.
Hines only holds offers at this time from Albany, Howard and Kent State, but there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll see his stock rise considerably with a strong junior season at Erasmus Hall. Connecticut, Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple have shown early interest, but he’s certainly hoping to follow in the footsteps of those Dutchmen who have played for Ohio State.
“It would mean a lot [if the Buckeyes offered],” Hines said. “I can’t explain what kind of feeling I would have, but I would be ecstatic.”
Hines was able to catch up with Jones and Wint before the camps, and they gave him some pointers about the recruiting process.
“[They told me] what it’s like to play college football and what the coaches are looking for,” Hines said. “They say it’s a fast-paced atmosphere and you have to work hard.”
