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.
WEATHERING THE STORM
Ohio State fired long-time wide receivers coach Zach Smith on Monday evening, but the decision should have little to no impact on the Buckeyes’ pursuit of several of their top targets at the position this cycle — as well as moving forward.
Five-star commit Garrett Wilson quickly shut down any concerns over the strength of his pledge when he told Eleven Warriors last night, “[I’m] sad to hear it, but it has no impact on my recruitment. I'm solid."
Naturally, that worry also carried over to St. Louis four-star wide receiver Marcus Washington, who is set to decide between Ohio State and home-state Missouri next month. Smith has been his primary point of contact throughout the process as both the position coach and area recruiter, but sources close to the prospect have indicated the relationships he’s formed with others on the staff and the opportunities presented throughout the program far outweigh Smith’s impact in his recruitment. The news will not alter Washington's timeline, and I still anticipate he’ll pick the Buckeyes on Aug. 7.
The same can be said for fellow St. Louis four-star Jameson Williams, who recently included Ohio State in his Top 5 and took an official visit last month.
Washington D.C. four-star Rakim Jarrett, who will visit campus for the first time this coming weekend, is also unaffected by Smith’s firing. In fact, the two barely had a relationship since defensive line coach and area recruiter Larry Johnson was the one who offered and invited him to Columbus.
"If I'm being completely honest, it helped Ohio State in my recruitment," Jarrett said. "First impressions are a lot when I'm investing myself into a university for four years, and coach Smith didn't really give a good one from our short conversation. I'll be sure to see who's the next coach and I'll go and build a relationship from there."
All that said, head coach Urban Meyer will now be tasked with finding a permanent replacement who not only a great position coach, but a great recruiter, first and foremost. Smith has been instrumental in the Buckeyes’ efforts in St. Louis and South Florida. Rebuilding those relationship — and quickly — will be key for whoever replaces him, but it’s certainly not an insurmountable task.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING
Ohio State is set to welcome Ferndale, Washington, four-star offensive line Geirean Hatchett to campus for a two-day visit beginning Thursday. It’ll be his first time in the Buckeye State.
“I’m definitely excited,” Hatchett told Eleven Warriors. “I’m really looking forward to getting out there and finally meeting the coaches. I’ve been in contact with them, but nothing in person, so it will be really nice to finally meet them and build a relationship with them. I’m also excited and looking forward to getting to see Columbus and get a feel for the area.”
The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Hatchett is considered the seventh-best offensive guard and No. 203 prospect overall in the Class of 2020. He holds nearly two dozen offers from programs such as Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Washington and Washington State.
Ohio State director of player personnel Mark Pantoni offered Hatchett back in February, and he’s since been in contact with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa.
“The conversations have been really good,” Hatchett said. “Definitely a lot of football talk, but we also talk about things that we like to do and more random stuff. I definitely like talking with them.”
The Buckeyes already hold a trio of commitments along the offensive line, with Cincinnati St. Xavier five-star tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia four-star tackle Jake Wray and New Jersey four-star guard Luke Wypler already in the fold. The staff believes Hatchett’s versatility would be a good asset, however.
“A lot of the schools I’ve talked to — including Ohio State — haven’t really said a specific position or anything,” Hatchett said. “They say that I have the athleticism and size to play anywhere on the line. It just depends on how I fill out.”
At this point in his recruitment, Hatchett does not have a list of top schools. He hopes visits this summer and fall help him narrow things down to a manageable number.
“I would hopefully like to make my decision before my senior year so I can just worry about football and school and not have to worry about all the recruiting stuff.”
GREAT DANE
Ohio State extended a scholarship offer on Tuesday afternoon to Brownsburg, Indiana, defensive tackle Dane Middlebrook Jr.
Honored to receive my first offer from THE hio State University#Gobucks and thanks to @BHSdogsfootball @OhioStateFB @TrenchGAME @SWiltfong247 @PlayBookAthlete @roblanders96 pic.twitter.com/8odE0pZZXU
— Dane Middlebrook Jr (@DaneM2020) July 24, 2018
This comes just a little over one month after the 6-foot-1, 320-pound Middlebrook attended a one-day camp in Columbus, where he worked with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“It was a pleasure,” Middlebrook told Eleven Warriors in mid-June. “It was an opportunity that other kids in other states would like to be able to do, but they aren’t able to get here to do that. It was just a privilege and an honor to work with a high-advanced coach like that.
“He is just like my coach at home. He’s like, ‘Let’s get down to business, but let’s also have fun. Let’s get to it.’ We worked on getting my technique down and got to work. For me, it was a hard workout, especially with the techniques that Ohio State uses. It’s a lot different from what I do, but I love learning new things and taking things back to my hometown. Pushing me and getting better, I can’t complain. I love getting better.”
Ohio State is the first program to offer Middlebrook, though he’s not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites. Several Big Ten and SEC schools — including Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Purdue and Tennessee — have also shown interest this spring, but there’s no doubt the Buckeyes are the favorite in his recruitment moving forward, no matter which programs offer.
”It’s a family,” Middlebrook said. “As soon as I came here for my unofficial visit, Coach Johnson said, ‘We need you. We want you to come back [for camp]. As soon as he said that, I told my dad, ‘Let’s sign up for Ohio State.’ I came here and worked my butt off, coach Johnson trained me and pushed me to be a better player.”
