The Hurry-Up is your nightly * dose of updates from the Ohio State Recruiting Trail, keeping you updated on commits and goals from around the country.
* ICYMI: The daily rush-ups will be back soon once we hire our new full-time recruiting writer, but until then I’ll be completing a couple of rush-ups per week.
2023 DBs, WR deserve offers
After receiving engagements from two defense attorneys in the 2022 class last week, the state of Ohio made two bids for defense attorneys in the 2023 class on Monday.
One of those offers went to Ethan Nation, who was rated a # 10 cornerback and a # 110 in the 2023 recruiting class.
An aspiring junior at Roswell High School in Roswell, Georgia, which is also the hometown of the current state of Ohio and is bringing Steele Chambers back even though Chambers played at Blessed Trinity Catholic, Nation already has more offers from more than 40 schools, including one Litany of top school programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.
After an amazing chat with @CoachMattBarnes, I am overjoyed and honored to receive an offer from THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY @ I_Am_OD3 pic.twitter.com/Ly3zLM11ur
– Ethan Nation (@ ethannation5) May 10, 2021
Elliot Washington, the other DB who got an offer from the Buckeyes on Monday, isn’t being touted that heavily – he’s ranked 33rd best safety officer in the 2023 class by 247Sports and doesn’t have a composite ranking yet – but his growing list of offers will likely lead to a big rise in the leaderboard soon.
On Monday alone, Washington received offers from Georgia, Indiana and the state of Florida after receiving his offer from the Buckeyes. The Venice, Florida, Washington native has also received offers from Georgia Tech, the state of Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
I’m honored to receive an offer from Ohio State University @OhioStateFB @CoachTonyAlford @VeniceIndianFB @ john_p34 @adamgorney @Andrew_Ivins pic.twitter.com/d3PZ16IAUy
– Elliot Washington II (@ ElliotWashingt9) May 10, 2021
On the other side of the ball, the state of Ohio also made an offer on Monday to Johntay Cook, who is ranked No. 10 recipient and No. 57 in the 2023 recruiting class.
Cook is a product from DeSoto, Texas, the hometown of former H-Back Dontre Wilson from the US state of Ohio. He adds the Buckeyes to a list of 30 offerings that include Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas A&M and USC, among others.
Very blessed to have an offer from Ohio State University @brianhartline #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/FTHFAJKWTk
– Johntay II (@_jayythegreat_) May 10, 2021
The Southlake recipient will visit Ewers
With the signing of the quarterback-wide receiving tandem of Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr. in the 2021 recruiting class, there is a chance the state of Ohio will bring another high school QB-WR pairing to Columbus in 2022.
Landon Samson has no offer from the Buckeyes yet, and he’s only the 125th best recipient and 940th overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class – far lower than any other scholarship holder who have joined Brian Hartline’s Zimmer in recent years. However, the Southlake Carroll wide receiver has contacted Hartline and will be visiting Ohio State in June with Quinn Ewers, his quarterback for the Dragons.
According to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Samson is planning an unofficial visit to the state of Ohio next month, while an official visit to Nebraska is planned for the first weekend in June.
Samson currently lists offers from 18 schools, including Baylor, Colorado, Duke, and Utah, and Nebraska, among the Power 5 teams. He’s posted big numbers for Southlake Carroll last season, catching 74 passes for 1,293 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he’s got plenty of speed after doing a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and Has run 185 pounds. He has pledged to play with Ewers in the 2022 All-American Bowl.
Tshabola is not going to visit Kentucky
For about 24 hours it looked like Tegra Tshabola was questioning his commitment to the state of Ohio.
Tshabola, who currently represents the Buckeyes ‘only offensive line for the 2022 class, announced Rivals’ Dave Lackford on Sunday that he would be planning an official visit to Kentucky on June 18. He told Lackford that his family wanted to take him A Look at Kentucky – his relative George Asafo-Adjei was also an offensive attack for the Wildcats – and that he had been connected to Kentucky deputy head coach Vince Marrow.
However, on Monday, Tshabola reiterated his commitment to the horse chestnuts and said he no longer visits the wild cats.
I am not going to attend the University of Kentucky.
– Tegra Tshabola (@tshabola_tegra) May 10, 2021
I am 100% committed to Ohio State University #GoBucks
– Tegra Tshabola (@tshabola_tegra) May 10, 2021
Shortly after these tshabola tweets, Marrow sent out his own tweet, apparently addressed to the state of Ohio.
Lol someone is getting nervous. Go big blue.
– CoachMarrowUK (@vincemarrow) May 10, 2021
Johnson remains committed to Michigan
Of course, when Michigan lost co-defensive coordinator and fullback coach Maurice Linguist to the job as head coach at Buffalo last week, there was speculation as to how that might affect the engagement of five-star cornerback Will Johnson, who mainly had been recruited by a linguist.
The state of Ohio had been a finalist to land Johnson alongside USC before Johnson committed to February, possibly opening the door for the Buckeyes to start another run at Johnson with Linguist’s early exit from Ann Arbor.
After Michigan hired Steve Clinkscale as their new defensive coach earlier this week, Johnson told Rivals’ EJ Holland he was excited to see who his new positional manager would be in Michigan.
“I think Coach Clink is a great attitude. We will still be able to put together the best DB class in 2022.”
The leader of Michigan’s recruiting class has spoken. Five Star CB Commit Will Johnson (@ Willj1228) is delighted with Steve Clinkscale’s #GoBlue hiring. https://t.co/30CwdXOFOB pic.twitter.com/HjMKHStUgf
– “EJ Holland” (@EJHolland_TW) May 11, 2021
Johnson’s father Deon also played in Michigan cornerback, and it appears that Johnson – a Michigan native Great Pointe – is still following in his father’s footsteps.
Buckeye pledges to earn goals, rival five-star challenge invites
The Rivals Camp Series made its final stop in Indianapolis on Sunday. Of the nine players who received invitations to the National Rivals Five-Star Challenge from this event, three are Ohio State commitments while several others are Buckeye targets.
Tshabola and his Ohio state counterparts in 2022 pledge that CJ Hicks and Gabe Powers received golden footballs Sunday, as did 2022 security guard Demon Moore, who remains one of the Ohio state’s goals remains in the offensive line. Potential clients in 2023 who received the Five-Star Challenge invite included Pickerington Central Safety Sonny Styles, one of Ohio’s biggest aspiring junior class destinations, and Detroit quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 3 QB in the class of 2023.
Congratulations to today’s participants in the Five-Star Challenge
OL Tegra Tshabola
OL Demon Moore
DL Popeye Williams
LB CJ Hicks
LB Gabe Powers
DB Sonny Styles
QB Dante Moore
Qb ty simpson
WR Kaden Saunders pic.twitter.com/bbBZiUOpUJ
– Rivals (@Rivals) May 9, 2021
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, Louisville attorney Popeye Williams, and Penn State recipient Kaden Saunders, all in the 2022 class, rounded out the invitee list.