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.
ALWAYS BE 'CROOTIN
Ohio State may be awaiting a ruling regarding the status of head coach Urban Meyer following an investigation into his knowledge of and actions regarding domestic abuse allegations against former wide receivers coach Zach Smith, but that doesn’t mean the staff is sitting idly by as other programs hit the recruiting trail.
In fact, the Buckeyes offered a scholarship late Sunday evening to Apopka, Florida, athlete Jecoryan Davis-Hamilton.
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio state university . pic.twitter.com/wyWecjsYOG
— Jecoryan Davis (@JecoryanDavis) August 20, 2018
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Davis-Hamilton is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but recently picked up offers from Cincinnati, Miami, Syracuse and Virginia after he rushed for 383 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries in the Blue Darters’ spring game back in May. He plays quarterback, but most programs are recruiting him as a dynamic athlete who can play a number of positions on the offensive side of the ball.
The Buckeyes, of course, already hold a commitment for next cycle at quarterback from Arizona four-star Jack Miller III. There’s a good possibility they look to add a second signal caller for depth purposes, however, and a lower-ranked prospect like Davis-Hamilton could fit the bill.
Ohio State had not offered a prospect in more than three weeks, as the month-long recruiting dead period began on Aug. 1 and the investigation ramped up shortly thereafter. With a decision regarding Meyer's future expected in the coming days, the staff will surely regroup and refocus its efforts on the recruiting trail as the season — and the Early Signing Period in December — quickly approaches.
MAKES SENSE
When it was announced that Meyer would go on paid administrative leave earlier this month, I lauded the program’s decision to name offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day as the acting head coach.
After all, Day is a rising star in the coaching profession who turned down several other opportunities this offseason — including head coaching positions — to remain on the Buckeyes’ staff. He also played an integral role in several commitments from the Dynasty ’19 recruiting class, including Georgia five-star center Harry Miller, Texas five-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, Michigan four-star quarterback Dwan Mathis and the aforementioned Miller.
With a haul like that and the level of difficulty of pulling prospects like Miller and Wilson away from the home-state powers, you’d think Day would be among the nation’s top recruiters. He instead sits at No. 12 in the 247Sports Composite Coach Rankings, behind the likes of Oklahoma assistant head coach Cale Gundy (1); Georgia linebackers coach Glenn Schumann (2); the Alabama trio of defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi (6), receivers coach Josh Gattis (8) and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley (9); and Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge (10).
The rest of the staff and the commitments for which they're responsible are listed below.
- No. 19 - Running backs coach Tony Alford — RB Steele Chambers, RB Sampson James, DE Noah Potter, LB Kane Patterson
- No. 50 - Offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson — ATH Craig Young, TE Cormontae Hamilton, LB Cade Stover
- No. 56 - Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa — OG Doug Nester, OT Ryan Jacoby
- No. 131 - Co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Alex Grinch — CB Jordan Battle, S Bryson Shaw
- No. 297 - Defensive coordinator Greg Schiano — S “Rocket” Ronnie Hickman
- No. 465 - Defensive line coach Larry Johnson — Stover
- No. 472 - Linebackers coach Bill Davis — Patterson
Former wide receivers coach Zach Smith was also credited with Wilson’s pledge, which is why he is listed as the nation’s 426th-best recruiter. Cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson, meanwhile, is unranked as he enters the first year of his second stint with the program — though he should absolutely be attributed for his role in Battle’s commitment.
This list is certainly subject to change in the coming months, however, since Ohio State looks to add 10 more commitments to its 2019 recruiting class in the coming months. The Buckeyes currently hold pledges from 15 prospects and sit at No. 8 overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
