Ohio State's incoming linebacker recruit has the chance to be the next great Buckeye.
By now, it's very likely that you know the name Cincere Johnson. If you don't, first get out from under the rock you're living under, and then get ready to remember the name.
Johnson is a five-star recruit from Cleveland, OH, who has a 98 rating and is ranked as the No. 24 recruit in the nation. In addition to being a top prospect in the 2026 cycle, Johnson is also No. 2 at the linebacker position, and No. 1 in the state of Ohio, per 247Sports.
He, along with Chris Henry Jr., is the crown jewel of Ohio State's 2026 recruiting class.
The highly-touted defender stands at 6-foot-3 and tips the scale right around 220 lbs. Johnson is everything you could want in an athlete. He is big, fast, strong, quick, athletic, and has shown great instincts.
He also comes from a football factory in Glenville High School. If that school sounds familiar, it is because it is the same school that made future Top-10 pick Arvell Reese, who took college football by storm last season in his first real time as a starter for Ohio State.
My excitement level for Johnson simply could not be higher. It may be because he is a five-star, or that he comes from the same school as Reese, or that I've gotten to see him several times live during his high school career. It is likely some combination of all of those things and more.
Johnson has all of the tools to be the next great Ohio State Buckeye and waste no time doing it.
He will have to battle early in his Ohio State career to scrape any playing time. He is entering a linebacker room that is loaded and led by Riley Pettijohn and Payton Pierce, as the homegrowns and the lone transfer, Christian Alliegro.
Those three are going to likely be the mainstays at the secondlevel of the defense unless something catastrophic happens. However, Johnson will cut his teeth on special teams, just as Reese did early in his career.
Johnson's eyes should be set on 2027 as the year he takes over the linebacker room and becomes the next great.
Chris Spielman, AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, Ryan Shazier, James Laurenitis, Anthony Schlegel, Cody Simon, and Sonny Styles are just some of the legends who have worn the Scarlet and Gray.
Next on that list is the Ohio kid, Cincere Johnson.
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