Cincinnati La Salle three-star safety Jaylen Johnson officially ended his recruitment when he signed with Ohio State during the first day of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday.
The 6-1, 200-pound Johnson is considered the 29th-best safety and No. 409 prospect overall in the class of 2021, though he’s projected to develop into a linebacker/hybrid safety role at the next level.
He picked Ohio State on Jan. 7 over more than a dozen offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and West Virginia, among others.
Johnson was originally planning to make his college decision on May 22, his father’s birthday, but following an unofficial visit in December 2019 in which he spent a considerable amount of time with head coach Ryan Day and linebackers coach Al Washington, he decided he wanted to be a Buckeye.
Johnson is joined in the Buckeyes’ 2021 recruiting class by several other defensive backs, including St. Louis De Smet Jesuit four-star Jakailin Johnson; Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett four-star Jordan Hancock; Nashville Ensworth four-star Andre Turrentine; Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro four-star Denzel Burke; and Bowling Green (Ky.) South Warren four-star Jantzen Dunn.
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