TAMPA – Sometimes you just know and that was the case with Wharton high school cornerback Dijon Johnson when it came to Ohio State.
The class of 2023 defensive back did not come to Ohio State for a visit with the intentions of committing and technically he did not commit on his visit, but it did not take long after returning home for the four-star corner to call up the Buckeyes and give them the good news and join the class of 2023 back in April.
“I hit coach (Tony) Alford up first, he recruits this area, so I hit him up first,” Johnson said reflecting back upon his big day. “Then I called coach (Tim) Walton and told him that I wanted to commit, this feels like home. Then I got on the phone with coach (Ryan) Day, and we were just talking it up and it was a great conversation. It was on Easter Day, and everything felt right, it was a great day.”
It was a two-for-Tampa run over two days as the Buckeyes also landed receiver Bryson Rodgers from nearby Wiregrass Ranch high school. Both Johnson and Rodgers play on the same 7-on-7 team and know each other well.
“He’s definitely an explosive receiver and he’s not predictable,” Johnson said of his friend’s game. “He’s pretty hard to guard. We just get better each and every time we go against each other and practice this past season. So, we give each other our best, each and every time we go against each other.”
There is another big Ohio State target that plays on the same 7-on-7 team, that would be Troy Bowles out of Tampa Jesuit high school. We learned earlier this week that Bowles has an official visit set up to Ohio State in the coming months and it would be great to keep the group together at the next level.
RELATED: Buckeyes very much in the hunt for Troy Bowles
“I am just telling him that the brotherhood at Ohio State is different,” Johnson said. “It’s not like any other, it’s different. I feel like he would fit really well in the system. I just tell him, ‘Come join the brotherhood. We are different over here.’”
Find out what else Johnson had to say about how things are going, his plans for the next level and so much more as our second and final week of the Southern Swing starts to draw to an end as we turn north and work our way back towards the state of Ohio with a few more surprises left in store.
