Ohio State 5-star OT commit officially shuts down recruitment

Five-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. (Cincinnati, OH / Princeton) was the first of Ohio State’s verbal commitments in the class of 2020 to commit to the program. However, despite being committed to the program for longer than a year, his recruitment has not always been solid.

When former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer announced his retirement, Johnson’s pledge immediately was in question. Johnson committed to Meyer, not to Ryan Day, and while he never decommitted from the program there were moments it felt like he might.

In order to stay committed to the Buckeyes, Johnson needed to build a strong relationship with Day. While Day did his best, Johnson continued to take official visits to other schools including Tennessee, where it looked like the Volunteers had swayed him following the visit. Johnson followed that up by taking officials to Georgia and LSU and Johnson reportedly almost flipped to LSU at one point.

Needless to say, one of Ohio State’s biggest commitments in this year’s class has been on edge for a long time. That was until Monday.

Johnson participated at a media day at the Princeton High School football stadium Monday and was asked about his pledge to the Buckeyes. Bill Kurelic of 247Sports.com was in attendance when Johnson said his recruitment was a “done deal.”

Johnson was joined on stage by fellow Ohio State commit Darrion Henry (Cincinnati, OH / Princeton.) The four-star DT committed to the Buckeyes this June and on Aug. 1 he reaffirmed his commitment on Twitter.

Johnson is one of the top prospects in all of the country. The 6-foot-7, 290-pound OT is ranked No. 1 at his position and No. 7 overall despite position in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Quick Hit:

• Rivals.com released its updated 2020 recruiting rankings Monday and included in it were Paris Johnson at No. 10 and five-star WR Julian Fleming at No. 7.