Buckeyes impress 2017 standout

Keyshawn Johnson Jr., came to Ohio State a day early to spend some time with Buckeyes receiver Michael Thomas, he saw the facilities there, worked out at camp and had a valuable experience in Columbus.

"We came in (Thursday) and we were with Mikey for a little bit and then we went to the hotel," Johnson said. "We woke up and saw the facilities. I saw them before but it was good to see them again.

"We were with Deommodore (Lenoir) and Jermani (Brown) and everybody. So we went to the camp, I was a little tight but I still performed. I did some drills with Zach Smith. He's a great coach, very energetic, that's what I like. He's easy to talk to and he'll tell you straight up what you did wrong and how to get better. I love coaches like that.

"We did some conditioning and then we did one-on-ones and I felt I did well. I went up against the best competition. I went up against Paris Ford, Richard LeCounte and Darnay (Holmes). I was competing with the best. Urban Meyer had a great speech afterward saying to never be the problem, always be the solution."

It was a big night for Johnson at Ohio State and it's clear the Buckeyes have his attention early in his recruitment.

After the camp, the 2017 four-star receiver narrowed his list to eight with Arizona, Alabama, Clemson, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA and USC making the cut.

The Calabasas, Calif., recruit said he will be deliberate through the process and not rush anything but he definitely plans to commit before National Signing Day his senior year.

"My dad knows a lot about this recruiting stuff because he's been through it," Johnson said. "Basically, what he told me was to pick your eight schools and just roll with it, stick to those eight schools. I'm grateful to all the schools that offered me but I feel those eight schools best fit me.

"We're going to look year-by-year, see if the coaches stay, coaches leave every year in college. We'll see what the best fit for me is by signing day. I'll definitely commit before signing day but I just have to figure it out."