"I've grown up watching Ohio State play on my TV": Four-star OT excited to represent Ryan Day's program

Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff sent offers to multiple 2027 class prospects in the last few weeks. One of the latest went to four-star offensive tackle Kaleel Johnson on April 22, and he holds the program in high regard.

"It means everything to me," Johnson told The Buckeye Tribune on Friday. "Since I was a kid I've grown up watching Ohio State play on my TV with my father. To know I have the chance to suit up in Scarlet & Gray is exciting.”

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Johnson is an in-state talent from Taft High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the No. 7 recruit in the state, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. In addition to the OSU offer, Johnson has gotten scholarships from Missouri, Louisville, Western Michigan and Virginia Tech.

Besides being an in-state program and championship glory in the 2024 season, Johnson loves the strong sense of "brotherhood" within OSU. He pointed out that while many players nationwide enter the transfer portal, the Buckeyes players are more inclined to stay with the team.

The Buckeyes already have two four-star players committed in the 2027 class: quarterback Brady Edmunds and athlete Jamier Brown.

Ohio State eyes to recruit four-star RB Myson Johnson-Cook

Ohio State running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is known for recruiting top talent like TreVeyon Henderson, drafted by the New England Patriots and praised by Locklyn as the best pass-blocking back in college football.

Locklyn is aiming to recruit another mighty running back in four-star prospect Myson Johnson-Cook and is working to get him to campus.

“He really just wants me to get up there and see him so he can develop me," Johnson-Cook told On3 about Loclyn's appeal.

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Johnson-Cook junior plays both linebacker and running back for his high school. He is the No. 1 linebacker in the 2027 class and the No. 20 prospect in the nation, according to Rivals.

As a sophomore in the 2024 season, Johnson-Cook rushed for 911 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has committed to play in the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl, scheduled for Jan. 10, 2026, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He also qualified for the Texas 6A regional track meet in the 100-meter dash, posting a personal best of 10.30 seconds as a sophomore.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by Krutik Jain