logo
BOOM! Ohio State football lands 4-star linebacker for 2026 recruiting class

BOOM! Ohio State football lands 4-star linebacker for 2026 recruiting class

USA Today19-06-2025
BOOM! Ohio State football lands 4-star linebacker for 2026 recruiting class
As things were trending, the Ohio State football team got positive recruiting news on Thursday when 4-star 2026 linebacker Cincere Johnson announced his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Out of Cleveland Glenville High School, Cincere seemed to be an OSU lean all the way, but in today's day and age of NIL money and all, you just never know. In the end, the pull to play for the Buckeyes and James Laurinaitis proved to be enough to land the priority target.
Ranked as the No. 8 edge defender and 71st overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle by the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Johnson is being recruited as a linebacker and should fit the room nicely. Ohio State won over Johnson over the likes of Alabama and Penn State to stay at home and continue the Glenville pipeline from Cleveland to Columbus.
Johnson brings versatility and size to the program at 6-foot, 3-inches, and 240-pounds. He can run and tackle, but can also come off the edge on a pass rush when asked to do so. His commitment brings the 2026 class up to 16 members as the No. 3-ranked class currently in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.
Ohio State is still putting the final touches on its 2026 class, and you can bet that there will still be some more news in the near future on players that commit to this year's cycle. As things happen, we'll bring the news to you.
Read More | 2026 Ohio State recruiting commitment tracker
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

2025 NFL Odds: Bears' Success Relies on Williams-Johnson Connection
2025 NFL Odds: Bears' Success Relies on Williams-Johnson Connection

Fox Sports

time8 minutes ago

  • Fox Sports

2025 NFL Odds: Bears' Success Relies on Williams-Johnson Connection

National Football League 2025 NFL Odds: Bears' Success Relies on Williams-Johnson Connection Published Aug. 15, 2025 11:54 a.m. ET share facebook x reddit link The 2024 NFL season did not go as planned for the Bears. Chicago spent the No. 1 pick on USC quarterback Caleb Williams and expected to see the franchise transform into a winner immediately. Not only did it not achieve that goal, the coaching staff was fired and the roster underwent major changes after the season. Will these changes pay dividends in 2025? The Bears hired Ben Johnson away from the Lions to be the head coach but, more importantly, to be the mentor and "fixer" for Williams. The Bears traded for two offensive guards, including the Chiefs' Joe Thuney, who is a fixture as one of the league's best left guards. They also added a center to round out the offensive line. Chicago is young at tackle, but experienced and skilled inside. The Bears drafted Rome Odunze along with Williams last season and then nabbed tight end Colston Loveland in the 2025 draft. Alongside running back D'Andre Swift and other receiving options, the Bears are plenty talented on offense to make it work around Williams. Defensively, Chicago has been building for years. It grabbed Montez Sweat via trade, Grady Jerrett and Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, and secondary players like Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon via the draft. Last year, the defense was second in passer rating allowed, fifth in third-down conversation percentage, and it's worth noting things got worse as the season went on. That is partly due to the usual wear and tear, but also the lack of support from the offense. When an offense doesn't score regularly, it puts the defense at a disadvantage, both emotionally and physically. ADVERTISEMENT With that said, it's clear that the success of the 2025 Bears is squarely on the shoulders of Williams and Johnson. Chris Broussard puts Caleb Williams, Bryce Young 'Under Duress' Johnson was able to engineer an explosive and attacking offense in Detroit with Jared Goff and Williams is a more talented thrower. While the Lions overall offense is better, the Bears are not that far behind. They built up the offensive line and have enough skill guys to win. But the question lingers: Can Johnson get the most out of Williams? I, like most, was high on Williams out of USC. The arm talent and physical gifts combined to make an explosive weapon that won the Heisman in 2022. However, he has a tendency to hold the ball too long while working through progressions, and he took too many sacks as a rookie. I was hopeful Williams was "trying to do too much" at USC with its poor defense and offense that seemed disjointed. However, Williams showed the same traits during his first season in the NFL. I think it's unfair to expect him to immediately morph into a different player with Johnson as his coach, and Williams gradually improving throughout the season is a typical arc of a young quarterback learning how to play the game. Also, it takes 8-10 game weeks for a new offensive playcaller — even with a veteran quarterback — to get the offense playing with high efficiency. Add in trying to change the way Williams sees the field, and I believe the Bears will start slower on offense than they'd like. If you combine a slower offensive start with the firepower in the NFC North, and games against the NFC East and AFC North, I think the Bears are going Under their win total. They should improve throughout the season and, hopefully, by the end of 2025 they are heading in the right direction for 2026. PICK: Bears Under 8.5 wins Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @ GeoffSchwartz . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share

Notre Dame rival Michigan finds out its fate from NCAA on ‘sign gate' scandal
Notre Dame rival Michigan finds out its fate from NCAA on ‘sign gate' scandal

USA Today

time8 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Notre Dame rival Michigan finds out its fate from NCAA on ‘sign gate' scandal

While Notre Dame hasn't played Michigan since 2019, they are still viewed as a big rival for the Irish. On Friday, as the season approaches, the NCAA announced the penalty for the Wolverines surrounding its intricate sign stealing accusations as reported by Pete Thamel. Michigan will be on four years probation, a $50,000 fine with 10% of the budget for the football program, a fine that equates to all postseason revenue share, along with another fine of 10% of the costs of scholarships awarded. The total amount of fines could be close to $30 million. There will also be a 25% reduction in official visits during the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and multiple people got show clauses including its former head coach Jim Harbaugh for 10-years, who now is in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. He previously was given a 4-year show cause penalty in 2024 for a different case. Both Connor Stallions (8-years) and Denard Robinson (3-years) also received show clauses, while current head coach Sherrone Moore got a 2-year show-cause order, and added another game suspension making it 3-games total. The Wolverines picked the games that Moore will not coach, which doesn't make any sense, as they opted for Moore to miss games three and four, while the NCAA added the first game of the 2026 season. He's also not allowed to coach or be with the team during those suspension weeks. It seems like Michigan got off pretty easy on this one, as there was no bowl or College Football Playoff ban, along with not vacating any of their wins during that period. Once again the NCAA has a questionable ruling on a team breaking the rules, one that impacted many during a run where the Wolverines made the CFP twice, winning it in 2024. Do you agree with the sanctions? Or are they too light? Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Patriots' Josh McDaniels Showers Patriots' Rookie RB With Praise
Patriots' Josh McDaniels Showers Patriots' Rookie RB With Praise

Yahoo

time36 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Patriots' Josh McDaniels Showers Patriots' Rookie RB With Praise

Patriots' Josh McDaniels Showers Patriots' Rookie RB With Praise originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New England Patriots may have found a hidden gem in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the selection of running back TreVeyon Henderson. If you feel like it's a recurring theme to hear nothing but positive reports around the Ohio State product coming out of Patriots' camp, it's because that's been the case. Henderson has seemingly done everything right, from working hard to displaying his talents, and it only continues to get brighter for the young back. Last week, he made numerous catches out of the backfield during practice that caught the eyes of coaches, teammates and reporters and then he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the Patriots' preseason opener. Then, after another strong practice on Monday, his new offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, praised the rookie running back. When asked about Henderson, McDaniels couldn't find a negative word to describe the running back. "Everybody sees TreVeyon the same way, you know. First of all, he's a tremendous kid, awesome individual, really hard worker. Smart kid, can process a lot of information, which allows you as a coach to try to use him in the ways that he should be used," McDaniels said. "Explosive, you know, I think we all saw that the other night, and tough, physical. So, I don't have many negatives to say about Tre, you know, but excited to coach him. "We've had some really good players with skill sets that are somewhat like his. Maybe nobody quite as fast as, you know, (Shane) Vereen was probably the fastest, him and Danny Woodhead were fast, but TreVeyon is fast, fast. So excited to be with him." Henderson has displayed it all in his first offseason with the Patriots. He's been complimented on his pass protection ability, and he's more than demonstrated his ability to make a difference with the ball in his hand. The versatile running back was already set to have a significant impact in the backfield alongside running back Rhamondre Stevenson in 2025. Still, he may take over the backfield if he continues to impress. His ability to run downhill and hit his top speed, along with his receiving ability, could provide him with three-down potential. Not to mention his role on special teams. Although you can't expect him to return every kick for a touchdown like he did on Friday night, he flashed his explosive ability in the return game. The Patriots' rookie will have a large role in 2025, but using him in the right way to get the best production will be the tallest task for McDaniels and special teams' coordinator Jeremy story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store