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.
Marvin Harrison Jr. weighs in on Kyle McCord;s commitment
When four-star Philadelphia quarterback Kyle McCord committed to Ohio State last week, besides the questions about how the Buckeyes’ quarterback situation would figure themselves out, the next concern was where McCord’s St. Joseph’s Prep teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. stood with Ohio State.
Harrison, a four-star wideout who caught 50 of McCord’s 201 completions in 2018 on their way to a state title, has told Eleven Warriors recently that he and McCord talk about their recruitments frequently and would like to play together in college. They attended Ohio State’s spring game April 13 together, and his Hall of Fame father has shown blatant interest in his son going to Columbus.
Harrison said when it came to McCord’s commitment, he knew that just because the decision was made early in the 2021 cycle it didn’t mean McCord made an impulsive decision on the Buckeyes.
“I just told him to do what’s best for him,” Harrison said. “Me and Kyle have shared this recruiting process together, so i know what was going through his mind and I’m just happy for him. I know he has thought about his decision long and hard.”
As far as what his teammate’s commitment means for his upcoming decision, Harrison said it certainly has an effect on what he will eventually choose when it comes time for him to commit.
“Definitely. When high school is all said and done, I’ll have played three years with Kyle, so our connection will be even better than it already is now,” Harrison said. “And I think we can be an unstoppable duo at the next level.”
Harrison has said he will make the decision that he feels is best for him, but his best friend and high school quarterback committing to Ohio State can’t possibly be a non-factor.
The wideout will be making a visit or two to Clemson this summer while on a service project in South Carolina with McCord and others. He’s expecting an offer on that visit and wants to gauge what Clemson has to offer, but “no one is really close” to Ohio State in Harrison’s eyes at this point.
“No matter what, I’m going to make a decision that’s going to be best for me,” Harrison said. “And as a receiver, obviously having a good quarterback helps a lot, but the scheme of the offense will have more effect on my decision rather than the quarterback.”
Rylie Mills commits to Notre Dame
Four-star Illinois defensive end Rylie Mills committed to Notre Dame on Monday evening, he announced via Twitter. His decision had come down to Ohio State and Notre Dame, and he made officials to both of those schools and Wisconsin in April.
I am 100% committed!!! @SWiltfong247 @EDGYTIM @eftfootacademy4 @CoachMikeElston @NDFootball @CoachBrianKelly pic.twitter.com/xYWmOypbuO
— Rylie Mills #99 DE LFHS (@ryliemillss) May 6, 2019
Mills’ decision to commit to Notre Dame isn’t exactly a surprise, but it does emphasize the importance of Darrion Henry’s decision in the coming months.
The Buckeyes don’t need to add more than two defensive ends in the 2020 class, and they certainly could get away with bringing in just one, but with the landing spot of the Cincinnati trio becoming more uncertain as the days pass, there isn’t a need to panic, but concern does set in.
With Braiden McGregor likely picking Michigan and defensive ends like Desmond Evans and Myles Murphy looking in other directions, the odds of Ohio State earning commitments from top defensive ends other than Henry are unlikely.
Mills brought the capability of playing inside and outside and wouldn’t necessarily have been an edge rusher but would have been a very intelligent, versatile piece to have within rotations for defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
Jalen Berger, Jordan Morant to commit at All-America game
Four-star safety Jordan Morant and four-star running back Jalen Berger announced that they will both be committing on Jan. 4 at the Under Armour All-America Game.
I will be committing Jan 4th . At the Adidas All American Game #3StripeLife pic.twitter.com/upeQ0aZmk3
— Jordan Morant (@jordanmorantt) May 6, 2019
Morant is one of the Buckeyes’ top safety targets of the 2020 class, and Berger made a visit to Columbus in early-April.
The decisions to commit in January are not uncommon, but they do seem to be linked to Ohio State directly. Many 2020 recruits that haven’t steered away from Ohio State because of the new staff are patiently waiting to see what Ohio State looks like on the field before committing to the program. It’s an understandable hang-up to have for any top prospect and explains why the Buckeyes haven’t landed as many commitments as programs like Clemson, LSU or Alabama at this point.
Waiting also helps Ohio State in both of these cases because it gives Morant a chance to get back to Columbus after he couldn’t make his last visit when five-star running back Kendall Milton was in town. It also gives Berger a chance to get to know the staff more. Being closer to both prospects by the end of 2019 could bode well for the Buckeyes.
