Oregon Ducks Battling Oklahoma, Alabama For 4-Star Linebacker Recruit Cincere Johnson

2026 four-star recruit Cincere Johnson will be deciding between the Oregon Ducks, Alabama Crimson Tide, Kentucky Wildcats, Stanford Cardinal, Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Texas A&M Aggies.

The linebacker from Glenville in Cleveland, Ohio is planning a visit to Oklahoma this weekend and to Alabama on Feb. 1. He has visited every school within his top ten except for Oregon and Stanford but is working on making trips to both Eugene and Palo Alto this spring.

"I am just going to schedule my official visits, take them and then commit this summer,” Johnson said. “I plan to ride this Top 10 out, set up my next visits and go from there. The support I have from family, teammates, coaches and friends is great, so I know they will help me.”
2026 linebacker Cincere Johnson

Cincere Johnson visits OSU the day of the Ohio State Buckeyes' 38-15 win over the Indiana Hoosiers in an NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. | Lori Schmidt / Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to On3, Johnson is ranked as the nation's No. 114 overall recruit, the No. 8 linebacker in the country, and the No. 3 prospect coming out of the state of Ohio. At 6-3, 235, he put together an impressive junior campaign with 205 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two pass breakups and two touchdowns. Johnson was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Cleveland Muny League.

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“One of the biggest things for me is the team. I want to see practice, communicate with players, learn the team, feel the vibe, connect with the people and talk ball. Spring practices is the best place to do that at. I will be out a lot and pick the brains of players on why they chose the school and see what the brotherhood is like.”
2026 linebacker Cincere Johnson

Oregon coach Dan Lanning is also returning senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher to his defense. He was a walk-on baseball player with Oregon and has played four years of baseball. Since Boettcher only has three years of football under his belt, he can play one more season on the gridiron for the Ducks. This past season, he collected a team-high 94 tackles to go along with four pass deflections, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson tries to catch the ball against Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher — Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) attempts to catch the ball against Oregon Ducks linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28) in the first half of a CFP Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Sophomore outside linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei is set to have a national breakout campaign for the Ducks. This past season, he finished with 38 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass deflection, and one interception.