Dijon Johnson decommits from Ohio State, Buckeyes down to three cornerback class
COLUMBUS — Ohio State continues its downward July trajectory on the defensive recruiting trail as four-star Wharton (Tampa, Florida) cornerback Dijon Johnson decommits from the Buckeyes 2023 class on Saturday.
Dijon Johnson, the No. 9 cornerback according to the On3 Consensus rankings, announced the news via Twitter.
“First and foremost I would like to thank the man above for putting me in the position that I’m in today, without him there isn’t a Dijon Johnson.
“Secondly, I want to thank everyone at the Ohio State University for their time and effort of recruiting me. I am thankful for the relationships that I’ve built over the past year, especially with Coach Alford, Cach Walton and the players.”
Johnson committed to Ohio State on April 17, just one day after his first visit to Columbus. Johnson took an official visit to Ohio State on June 17, and in recent weeks there has been quiet speculation of a decommitment with ties to Florida. But Johnson has spoken highly of the Buckeyes throughout the murmurs and there’s no love lost.
“It’s a family environment,” Johnson told On3 about Ohio State. “The coaches, they (are) real genuine and there are good people in the building at that place.”
Johnson visited Florida on Friday and Miami on Saturday.
Johnson’s decommitment is another cutting loss on the recruiting trail for the Buckeyes in the month of July. Ohio State failed to secure pledges from its top remaining prospects in five-star safety Caleb Downs and four-star offensive tackle Olaus Alinen, both of which committed to Alabama. The Buckeyes also missed the mark on their top two linebacker prospects in four-star Troy Bowles and four-star Tackett Curtis. Bowles committed to Georgia and Curtis, who long had been tied to Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, made a surprise decision by giving his pledge to USC.
The Buckeyes entered the month of July hoping to finalize their defensive haul in the 2023 cycle, but instead, it has to build it back up. Ohio State still has pledges from three other cornerbacks in four-star Jermaine Mathews, four-star Calvin Simpson-Hunt and four-star Kayin Lee.
