Don’t look now, but the Buckeyes are starting to heat up on the recruiting trail. On Thursday, Ohio State linebacker coach James Laurinaitis landed the commitment of one of the best players in the state as four-star edge rusher Cincere Johnson from Cleveland Glenville High School pledged to play his college football for the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound prospect is currently rated as the No. 71 player in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Johnson also ranks as the No. 8 edge rusher and the second-rated player in the state of Ohio. Though currently listed as a defensive end, his primary recruiter has been Little Animal, and his visit host was Arvell Reese, so it seems pretty obvious that the Buckeyes see Johnson as a linebacker.
His physical stats as a rising high school senior mirror that of current Buckeye quasi-linebacker/defensive end C.J. Hicks, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 233 pounds. So, some positional flexibility could be possible for Johnson as well.
Nonetheless, according to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Hudson Standish, Johnson has “encouraging short-area quickness, redirection skills, and initial burst.” In making a move from defensive end to linebacker, Standish seems to think that Johnson can keep up with the more lateral demands of the position.
He says that Johnson is a “fluid mover in the open field who has flashed sideline-to-sideline ability.” That certainly sounds like the type of player you would need in a two-linebacker set, like the Buckeyes appear to be sticking with following the departure of former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
With the addition of Johnson to OSU’s class, the Buckeyes have shot up to No. 2 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings, passing Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Georgia in one fell swoop. However, at just 16 commits compared to USC’s 29, Ohio State is still a considerable distance behind, and likely to fall behind even further.
Despite being predicted to join the Scarlet and Gray as recently as yesterday, edge rusher and No. 55 national recruit Luke Wafle has now been “Fong Bombed” to join the Trojans in what has reportedly become one of the most competitive NIL negotiations of the cycle thus far. However, if Wafle did decide to come to a team that has won something of note in his lifetime, then the Buckeyes would be far closer to USC in the rankings.
Johnson joins fellow top-100 prospects wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (No. 15) and safety Blaine Braford (No. 26) in the Buckeyes’ class with safety Bralan Womack (No. 21) and defensive lineman Pierre Dean (No. 66) both crystal balled to join the Buckeyes.
Check out Cincere Johnson’s junior highlights: