At the third one-day recruiting camp that Ohio State held on Tuesday, four-star defensive lineman Reinaldo Perez went in hoping to show defensive line coach Larry Johnson that he has what it takes to be a Buckeye.
Perez came out of the camp mostly pleased with what he put onto the field, but also with some things he thinks he can work on moving forward.
“I feel like it went alright,” Perez told BSB. “There’s definitely some stuff I could work on. There’s always room for improvement. But overall, my footwork, my speed in the drills and the one-on-ones I feel like went pretty well. I feel like I need to work more on my hands, there’s improvement (needed) there, but other than that, I thought it went pretty well.”
Perez said he doesn’t have an offer from Ohio State yet, but being from Columbus, an offer from the Buckeyes — who he grew up rooting for — would mean a lot to him.
“It would be an honor,” Perez said. “Growing up and watching the Buckeyes play against Michigan, winning all the national championships that they’ve won, I’d be honored to receive an offer from them. Being a hometown kid from Columbus, being able to get an offer from the hometown school, that’s really big. It’s a dream.”
Lopez has been to Columbus a few times now, taking a visit during spring practices and making it out to two camps so far, and getting to know Johnson and being able to learn from the DL coach has been an experience he has appreciated.
“It’s a great experience. It’s one of a kind,” Perez said. “He’s the best at what he does, and so learning from him, you get to learn a lot of things. (I’m) absorbing it like a sponge and it really helps with my skills.”
Perez said he has some other visits in the works at this point and will be getting to other schools during the summer months, and has one set up with Florida already on June 21.
He is the No. 182 player in the country, the No. 21 defensive lineman and the No. 4 player in the state of Ohio and currently has 12 Division I offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo. Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Ohio, Purdue, Tennessee. Toledo, UMass and Wisconsin.
