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.
Travion Ford Looks Ahead to OSU Visit
When 2021 Missouri defensive end Travion Ford received his Ohio State offer in mid-January, he said it was one that he "was waiting on." The 6-foot-4, 215-pound defensive end received his 15th offer Saturday from Arkansas during a visit, and he plans to visit Ohio State on March 23.
"I’m expecting for my March visit to be great," Ford said. "I’ll have the opportunity to meet and sit down with all the coaches as well as tour the school."
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State @brianhartline #GoBucks #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/jwQ7RxXmkn
— Travion Ford #6 (@Tre_Got_Skills) January 17, 2019
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline made the trip out to the St. Louis area to visit eventual Ohio State signee Jameson Williams when he stopped to see Ford and eventually extended him an offer.
Ford used to play at Lutheran of Charles County with 2020 defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio, who also has an Ohio State offer. Now, Ford plays at Lutheran North, where he broke the single-game and school records for sacks with five in one game and 17 during the 2018 season.
Ford said he's developed a good relationship with Hartline but is also eager to meet the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff too, which he hopes to do during his visit later this month. His March 23 visit will be the same weekend as at least five other Ohio State targets.
He said that he's looking for a program that will "push him to the next level,' and one of the immediate attraction to Ohio State is its success in the College Football Playoff and its several players drafted into the NFL every year.
"Time will tell me the program that will make me better and push me to the next level," Ford said. "A goal of mine is to start as a true freshman."
Ford works with a defensive line trainer, and he said his trainer told him to work on his stance at the line to become more explosive off the line before he graduates high school.
Until he graduates, though, Ford has two more years to continue to add to his 17 sacks and add to an offer list that already includes Alabama, Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU and others.
"It says that my hard work in the offseason is paying off," Ford said. "I was hungry, and it made me to get the job done. I’m not done yet. My work isn’t finish. I’m not there yet. I still have work to do."
Visit Season Picking Up
The beginning of March kicks off a busy visit season, as most high school winter seasons come to an end and players can get out to see some of their top schools.
This weekend didn't feature any Ohio State targets in Columbus, as most Ohio State offers are scheduled for later in March, but a number of them made their way to other schools.
Zak Zinter, a four-star Massachusetts offensive tackle in the Class of 2020, made his way to Durham, North Carolina, to make a visit to Duke. Some schools with Zinter's interest include Notre Dame and UCLA, but he is scheduled to visit Ohio State on March 27.
Three other Ohio State targets visited Georgia over the weekend. No. 2 2020 outside linebacker Mekhail Sherman, No. 4 Kentucky recruit John Young and five-star No. 2 athlete Darnell Washington were all in Athens over the weekend.
Had so much fun in Georgia...#1 or #13 @DellMcGee @coach_thartley @DHill39 pic.twitter.com/Ls9KvWA8sz
— Darnell Washington (@_Dwfootball11) March 2, 2019
Jacolbe Cowan, the No. 6 strongside defensive end in the 2020 class, made his way to Tennessee this weekend for what was his third visit to Knoxville, and Maryland 2021 center Ryan Linthicum paid a visit to Virginia.
Ohio State is set to host several recruits in the month of March, including No. 6 Ohio recruit out of Akron DeaMonte Trayanum on March 19, Henry Gray and Lejond Cavazos on March 22 and several other recruits, including Travion Ford, on March 23.
Parker Braun Commits to Texas
According to Orangebloods.com, Georgia Tech offensive line transfer Parker Braun committed to Texas on Sunday, becoming the second offensive line graduate transfer to eliminate the Buckeyes after Rutgers grad transfer Jonah Jackson committed to Ohio State.
New #Longhorns OL Parker Braun. pic.twitter.com/jBP7dJTa7y
— Jason Suchomel (@OB_JasonS) March 3, 2019
Braun's commitment away from Ohio State comes after Virginia offensive line grad transfer R.J. Proctor chose to cancel his visit to Ohio State the day after Jackson committed. While the commitment location wasn't obvious, it wasn't a surprise that Braun chose somewhere other than the Buckeyes, as he is an interior offensive lineman, the same as Jackson.
Braun was a two-time All-ACC selection at Georgia Tech and joins a Texas program that finished 10-4 last season and defeated Georgia in the AllState Sugar Bowl.
