The Hurry Up: Defensive Tackle Siaki Ika Includes Ohio State Among Top Schools While Oregon State Visitor List Takes Shape

REMINISCENT OF TOMMY TOGIAI'S RECRUITMENT?

Salt Lake City East four-star defensive tackle Siaka Ika included Ohio State in his Top 8 late Thursday night alongside Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Oregon, USC, Utah and Washington.

And thats that #GodsPlan pic.twitter.com/2FBIA9Natj

— Siaki Ika' (@Jackfish801) August 31, 2018

The 6-foot-3, 351-pound Ika — who considered the 11th-best defensive tackle and No. 160 prospect overall in the Class of 2019 — visited Columbus for the first an only time for a one-day camp last summer, where he worked directly with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

“It was great. I loved it,” Ika told Eleven Warriors. “It was great to learn from great coaches and learn from top-tier athletes. It was fun to go up against different competition, too.”

Ika was committed to BYU at the time, but backed off that commitment back in February amid interest from some of the top programs in the country.

The Buckeyes did not offer until earlier this month following Ika’s impressive performance at Nike Football’s The Opening Final, where he used his size and athleticism to dominate seemingly every offensive lineman outside of Ohio State five-star center commit Harry Miller.

Defensive tackle is not a significant need this year, as the Buckeyes signed three of the nation’s best last cycle in five-star Taron Vincent, four-star Tommy Togiai and JUCO transfer Antwuan Jackson Jr. But the staff typically looks to add at least one prospect at each position in every class, and Ika is at or near the top of their priority chart.

Other notable names to keep in mind include Hawaii five-star Faatui Tuitele, who will likely take an official visit this fall; Maryland three-star D’Von Ellies; and New York three-star Jared Harrison-Hunte.

A RETURN TO NORMALCY

Ohio State’s season opener is almost upon us, which means the Buckeyes will host a number of prospect on unofficial visits this weekend.

With head coach Urban Meyer suspended for the first three games of the season, I don’t anticipate any big-time visitors over the next few weeks. But there are still some notable names, including a few Ohio State commits, that will be on hand when the Buckeyes and Beavers kick off at high noon.

That includes:

• 2019 Ohio State four-star quarterback pledge Dwan Mathis
• 2019 Ohio State four-star offensive guard commit Doug Nester
• 2019 Dayton Dunbar three-star offensive tackle Jonathan Allen
• 2019 Massillon Washington three-star wide receiver Tre’Von Morgan*
• 2020 Dublin Coffman four-star running back Michael Drennen II
• 2020 Akron Archbishop Hoban four-star running back DeaMonte Trayanum
• 2020 Michigan three-star wide receiver Devell Washington
• 2020 Michigan four-star wide receiver Rashawn Williams
• 2020 Norwalk three-star offensive tackle Trey Leroux*
• 2021 Massillon Washington wide receiver Jayden Ballard
• 2021 West Virginia offensive tackle Wyatt Milum*
• 2022 Centerville quarterback Chase Harrison*

*Does not have an offer

This list is subject to change over the next 18 or so hours, of course, as prospects will announce their intentions to attend or cancel at the last minute. Make sure to follow me on Twitter at @AndrewMLind for more names as the night progresses.

HOPE YOU HAVE AN UNLIMITED PLAN

In addition to being the season opener for Ohio State, Sept. 1 is also a significant date on college football’s recruiting calendar.

It is the beginning of the evaluation period, which means coaches can hit the road to watch prospective student-athletes participate in practices and/or games. They cannot have face-to-face contact unless it’s on campus, but a welcome change given much of the last two months have been in the dead period, where only written and electronic communication was permitted by the NCAA.

College coaches are also allowed to contact rising juniors for the first time tomorrow. Before that, all communication went through their high school coaches or occurred during on-campus visits.

There’s no doubt the Buckeyes’ staff will be busy this evening, texting or calling some of their top targets for the Class of 2020 as soon as the clock strikes midnight.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Week 3 of the high school football season is already upon us, and every Ohio State commit from the 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes is action this weekend.

That includes Texas five-star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, as well as New Jersey four-star safety "Rocket" Ronnie Hickman and four-star offensive guard Luke Wypler, who are taking the field for the first time this fall.

Check out the full schedule below:

* Saturday game