2023 Florida Cornerback Dijon Johnson Decommits From Ohio State
After attending Florida’s Friday Night Lights recruiting camp this weekend, Tampa Wharton four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson announced his decommitment from Ohio State on Saturday night.
“I want to thank everyone at The Ohio State University for their time and effort in recruiting me,” Johnson said in a post on Twitter. “I am thankful for the relationships that I’ve built over the past year, especially with Coach (Tony) Alford, Coach (Tim) Walton and the players.
“After long talks with my family, I’ve decided that it’s best for me to decommit from The Ohio State University, and I will be reopening my recruitment. I look forward to the journey of finding my new home.”
The 6-foot-1 and 190-pound Johnson, who is considered the 10th-best cornerback and No. 93 prospect overall in the class of 2023, pledged his services to the Buckeyes on April 17, just one day after he attended the annual spring game.
His latest decision isn’t a surprise, as Ohio State discourages committed prospects from taking visits elsewhere. Once he made the trip to Gainesville, it was only a matter of time before he opened things back up – if not outright flip his pledge to the Gators.
Johnson's decision now leaves the Buckeyes with three commitments at cornerback in Waxahachie, Texas, four-star Calvin Simpson-Hunt; Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove four-star Kayin Lee; and Cincinnati Winton Woods four-star Jermaine Mathews.
The Buckeyes are hoping to sign four players at the position this cycle, so they’ll likely extend new offers in the coming weeks in order to fill that void. Of the three uncommitted cornerbacks that already hold offers, it’s likely they’ll reach back out to Roswell, Ga., four-star Ethan Nation, as well.
That said, Johnson’s announcement is just the latest in a string of disappointments for Ohio State on the defensive side of the ball, as the Buckeyes missed out on five-star safety Caleb Downs (Alabama), four-star linebackers Troy Bowles (Georgia) and Tackett Curtis (USC) and four-star defensive tackle John Walker in July.
Head coach Ryan Day doesn’t seem worried about that trend, though, as he recently acknowledged recruits want to see results from the new defensive staff, which includes Walton, coordinator Jim Knowles and safeties coach Perry Eliano, before they're sold.
“We’ll see how it plays out, but I think our defensive guys have done a really good job recruiting,” Day said during Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. “They are hustling like crazy and really working at it. But I do think guys are excited to see what this looks like.
“I think when they see the energy and a bunch of guys flying around like that, it’s going to be a much easier sell.”
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