Sting Factor: Dijon Johnson's decommitment from Ohio State
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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STING FACTOR: Dylan Edwards' decommitment from Kansas State
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THE STORYLINE
Ohio State has done an exceptional job recruiting the state of Florida this cycle which puts the Buckeyes near the top of the team recruiting rankings and continues to position them for a run at the College Football Playoff.
They are one commit lighter, though, as in recent days four-star defensive back Dijon Johnson from Tampa (Fla.) Wharton backed off his pledge to Ohio State that he made Easter weekend.
Ohio State remains second in the overall team recruiting rankings and from the state of Florida alone the Buckeyes have commitments from five-star receivers Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss along with four-star WR Bryson Rodgers, four-star RB Mark Fletcher and four-star athlete Cedric Hawkins.
Johnson was expected to visit Florida and then Miami over the weekend but the Tampa (Fla.) Wharton standout decided to stay in Gainesville. The Gators are considered the heavy front-runner in his recruitment now.
When he originally picked Ohio State, the Buckeyes beat out Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma and USC for Johnson’s services.
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LOCAL REACTION
"The loss of Dijon Johnson hurts more than it otherwise may just because it feels like another shot to the Ohio State defensive recruiting class in what’s been a challenging few-week stretch.
"Still, the Buckeyes have three solid cornerback commitments on the board even without Johnson and there’s plenty of time for Tim Walton and Perry Eliano to replace the Florida standout if they choose to." - Austin Ward, DottingTheEyes.com
Sting factor: 6
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NATIONAL REACTION
"When Johnson originally committed to Ohio State, he was a three-star prospect but after seeing him multiple times over the last few months he was bumped up to four stars and inside the Rivals100. He’s a big, talented, physical cornerback and those are rare so this does hurt the Buckeyes but it’s far from back-breaking.
"Ohio State might not necessarily load up with cornerbacks from the 2023 class but Bryce West is in the 2024 class and others could join through the portal or other means. Ohio State’s offense is also so explosive that if the Buckeyes need to outscore people, no problem.
"So while Ohio State would prefer to have Johnson in the class, the Buckeyes are fine and absolutely remain an elite program and title contender." – Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 5