Nebraska '18 CA RB - Maurice Washington (Nebraska Verbal)

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STARS
Oak Grove
Sunnyvale, CA
RR:
Ht: 6'0"
Wt: 180 lbs
Class: 2018

Ohio State has offered.

 

4-star RB Maurice Washington just visited #MichiganState. #OhioState, #Cal, #Stanford on the visit radar (premium. https://t.co/MgDgknyAVO pic.twitter.com/fXsXeTZtYY

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) March 26, 2017

 

Check out Maurice Washington III's The big picture on @Hudl https://t.co/jRCKYVNyMb #hudl

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) March 26, 2017

 

Country's No. 5 RB tells 247Sports recruiting insider @G1Bound he has #OhioState No. 1 on his list FREE https://t.co/slaeu4fAcS

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) March 27, 2017

 

Back in August, one of the stranger incidents of the recruiting cycle took place when FloFootball reported that four-star tailback Maurice Washington had committed to Ohio State. As we reported back then, a commitment never actually went down and the reporter clearly misunderstood Washington's comments. The commitment tweet and subsequent story have since been deleted.

Washington then spoke with Andrew Lind and provided some clarity:

“I didn't say that, [the reporter] did,” Washington told Eleven Warriors. “It was just a video of the schools I want to go to. I said the same thing I always say about Ohio State. It's my home, but there's more steps I have to take.”

Maurice Washington is a California native who now resides in Cedar Hill, Texas. He camped at Ohio State back in June and his performance earned him the coveted Buckeye offer. Since that time, we haven't heard a whole lot regarding the two parties outside of the aforementioned incident in August. Most probably had written this one off as Ohio State switched its focus to other needs.

But something has perhaps changed in the recent weeks. Washington was the star of the show at the Under Armour All-America Game in Orlando, and on one of high school football's biggest stages, he took home MVP honors after recording over 150 all-purpose yards and three scores.

He scored 29 touchdowns as a sophomore in San Jose but was deemed ineligible for his junior season due to transfer rules. Following a rough junior year, he bounced back nicely in 2017. Washington totaled nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards, averaged 15 yards per touch, and found the end zone 27 times. The 6-foot-1 tailback was around 175 pounds last summer, but he's bulked up to 190 and schools like Tennessee, Nebraska, and Ole Miss are hot on the trail.

His senior highlight film leaves no doubt as to why he's such a hot commodity.

Ohio State was a serious contender early on, and even with only a few spots left in the 2018 class, it appears that the Buckeyes may be at least sniffing around again. Allen Trieu – a national recruiting analyst for 247 Sports – broke the news that Urban Meyer is expected to stop by the school next week and check in with Washington.

We'll have to wait a bit and see if this visit does go down. But if it does, then it will be interesting to see what comes of it. Could the Buckeyes take a look at Washington as an athlete who's too talented to turn down? Perhaps a slot receiver or another potential H-back?

With several offensive playmakers already signed, adding another one may end up being too much of a good thing—especially with more pressing needs elsewhere. Regardless, the potential development adds yet another storyline to be on the lookout for as the Buckeyes look to put the finishing touches on the Class of 2018.

 

KICKING THE TIRES
After a three-touchdown performance in the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this month that netted him Most Valuable Player honors, Cedar Hill, Texas, Trinity Christian three-star running back Maurice Washington III has seen his stock soar. And despite Ohio State having already signed running backs Brian Snead and Master Teague III and H-Back Jaelen Gill, head coach Urban Meyer is reported set to visit him later this week.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Washington is considered the 18th-best running back and No. 417 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, but would probably be ranked higher if it weren't for an up-and-down prep prep career. He rushed for 1,827 yards and 29 touchdowns as a sophomore at Sunnyvale, California, The King's Academy as a sophomore, but was forced to sit out his entire junior season after his transfer to San Jose Oak Grove was deemed athletically motivated.

Ohio State — and schools all over the country, for that matter — lost track of Washington during that year. He then transferred again last summer to be with family in Texas, where he was eligible to play immediately.

There, Washington rushed for 1,253 yards and 15 touchdowns and hauled in 26 catches for 582 yards and nine scores while playing running back, wide receiver, wildcat quarterback, kick returner and punter while helping the Tigers to the state championship this season. And that — coupled with his 159-yard, three-touchdown performance in Orlando on Jan. 4 — has programs like Nebraska, Ole Miss and Tennessee in hot pursuit.

All that said, Washington has long been fond of Ohio State. The Buckeyes were among the first programs to offer him a scholarship following an unofficial visit for a one-day camp in June 2016 and he told Eleven Warriors shortly thereafter he'd commit to the program if ever given the chance.

It appeared that was the case more than a year later, when — in August 2017 — FloFootball inaccurately reported Washington had pledged his services to the Buckeyes.

“I didn't say that, [the reporter] did,” Washington told Eleven Warriors. “It was just a video of the schools I want to go to. I said the same thing I always say about Ohio State. It's my home, but there's more steps I have to take.”

Most, including myself, had written off Washington's chances of becoming a Buckeye with Gill, Snead and Teague already in the fold. And given the fact that the staff must first address a number of other needs — including offensive tackle and defensive end — it would appear there's simply no room left for him.

But sources close to the program have told Eleven Warriors that's not the case. If Washington's academics are in order, they'll make the numbers work.

Nebraska has been considered the favorite in Washington's recruitment, and he was supposed to take an official visit to Lincoln this weekend. That was placed on hold, though, as the Cornhuskers also hope to clarify things on the academic side before brining him to campus and pushing for his pledge.

One way or the other, this week's meetings with Meyer and Nebraska head coach Scott Frost could go a long way in determining whether he lines up for or against the Buckeyes down the road.

 

#OhioState coach @OSUCoachMeyer hit it out of the park on his visit with the MVP of the Under Armour All-American Game VIP https://t.co/NDzNdUVjcF

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) January 17, 2018

 

The #Buckeyes went to see Under Armour All-American @Mo_is_blessed again with a different purpose in mind (VIP) https://t.co/gdip4VaTx6

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) January 23, 2018

 

Under Armour All-America Game MVP Maurice Washington set to take an official to #OhioState this weekend. (VIP) https://t.co/NmIMRY0UHE pic.twitter.com/drfrfbbStG

— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) January 23, 2018

 

WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING?

As first reported by 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, Cedar Hill, Texas, Trinity Christian three-star athlete Maurice Washington III will no longer take an official visit to Ohio State this weekend.

The news, which has since been confirmed by Eleven Warriors, likely brings to an end Washington’s life-long dream of playing for the Buckeyes — though it’s mostly his own doing. Sources have indicated his academics remain a concern and he’s reluctant to play on the defensive side of the ball.

Former assistant coordinator Kerry Coombs was in the Lone Star State on Monday, which may have been his last recruiting trip on behalf of Ohio State. There, he pitched the idea of Washington playing cornerback, as the Buckeyes already signed three running backs and there may not be enough carries to go around in the future.

Washington seemingly bulked at the idea, as both Arizona State and Nebraska want to feature him heavily on offense. That's why he'll instead be in Lincoln this weekend, and I imagine he'll make a decision between the Cornhuskers and Sun Devils shortly thereafter.

 

I think that Maurice Washington will be a home-run hitter in the Scott Frost offense at Nebraska. @Mo_is_blessed #GBR 🌽

*VIP Analysis*https://t.co/Rov1LXU6fk

— Greg Powers 🏟️ (@GPowersScout) February 7, 2018

 

Nebraska had a pretty good day.https://t.co/nDh1xgf5gN

— Saturday Out West (@satoutwest) February 7, 2018

 

https://t.co/GNBuuTClBp

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) May 20, 2018

 

Four-star Nebraska signee Maurice Washington cleared academically https://t.co/7OxUTgtJZc #collegefootball

— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) August 2, 2018

 

Nebraska running back Maurice Washington faces criminal charges related to a video of his underage high school girlfriend being sexually assaulted by two other people.https://t.co/9TjqhmkI4m

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) February 11, 2019

 

Nebraska running back Maurice Washington III faces charges under California’s "revenge porn" law https://t.co/iwIF9KBZnk

— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) February 12, 2019

 

Nebraska running back Maurice Washington faces charges in California as officials await warrant for his arrest: https://t.co/sIvuoaZPxL

— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) February 12, 2019

 

Arrest warrant issued for Nebraska's Washington https://t.co/BNf0mp1rCn

— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) February 18, 2019

 

Maurice Washington will be a limited participant in practice has his legal problems in California play outhttps://t.co/o3NubFqkke

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 6, 2019

 

Nebraska's Maurice Washington appears in California court over revenge-porn case #collegefootball https://t.co/RToccKQBGM

— ClevelandFootballTalk (@CFTalk) April 11, 2019