OSU impresses 2016 R100 DE

New Jersey native Ron Johnson recently visited Ohio State when his hometown team, Rutgers, played in Columbus. The 2016 Rivals100 defensive end from Camden (N.J.) was impressed by the environment.

"I saw a lot of fans," said the 6-too-4, 224-pound Johnson. "I really liked it because that stadium is huge. It's up there with Penn State's stadium. They were just dominant."

It doesn't seem like Rutgers' performance in that game affected Johnson's interest level in the Scarlet Knight.

"Rutgers is my host state school so they'll always be in the running," he said. "They did pretty well against other teams. They made a lot of mistakes so it wasn't close. I saw a future for Rutgers in the Big Ten when I've visited there. The coaches have everybody on the team is really aggressive on the field."

Rutgers head coach, Kyle Flood, went to one of Camden's games not too long.

"I was pretty special to see coach Flood on the sideline for our game," said Johnson. "That was the second time a head coach came to watch us play. The first was Matt Rhule from Temple. I like Temple because they have one of my old teammates, Sean Chandler. They have a good coaching staff too.

The Nittany Lions remain heavily involved in Johnson's recruitment.

"When I went down to Penn State I fell in love with everything," he said. "I really like coach Franklin. He's a really good speaker."

A couple of other schools are testing the waters with Johnson.

"Pittsburgh has offered already and Virginia Tech is close," Johnson said. "I talk to their defensive line coach almost every day.

"My dad played for Wisconsin," he said. "I've only heard good things about Wisconsin. My dad isn't really pushing me to go there. He wants me to go where I want to go."

Johnson might visit Maryland or Virginia Tech on November 8 or November 15.