Ohio State commit Dijon Johnson and a meteoric rise in the recruiting rankings

June 07, 2024

BRADENTON, Fla. — Dijon Johnson isn’t the type to monitor his recruiting ranking.

But sometime last November, the cornerback from Wharton High School in Tampa, Fla., got curious. So for the first time, he typed his name into Google.

“Me and my coach, (Mike Williams Sr.) were talking about it, and I was just like, ‘Oh yeah. I’m just gonna go ahead and see. I’m gonna look myself up. So I did,” Johnson said.

“And I was like, ‘Oh. Wow.’”

To Johnson’s surprise, he was ranked No. 457 nationally in the 247Sports Composite when he initially checked on Nov. 17.

Two days later, he got a bit of a boost — coming in at No. 373 nationally — but by February, he had dipped back into the 400s.

“So that just put a little chip on my shoulder: ‘I gotta go harder. I’m not where I’m supposed to be,’” said Johnson, who committed to Ohio State in April. “I knew what I can do.”

hey I’m a buckeye …. @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/nLduiQCspD

— Dijon Johnson (@DijonJohnson13) April 17, 2022

Eight months after his first inquiry, Johnson is now a top-100 recruit, initially reaching that benchmark in early June after jumping from No. 191 to No. 94. He peaked at No. 81 on July 18th and is currently the nation’s No. 93 prospect and No. 10 cornerback.

hey I’m a buckeye …. @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/nLduiQCspD

— Dijon Johnson (@DijonJohnson13) April 17, 2022

His surge through the rankings shows how much can change through the course of just one season for any given high school prospect.

“Ever since (November), I haven’t paid attention that much,” Johnson said. “But I did recently look myself up (again) and I was like, ‘Oh wow. OK. Now they’re starting to see me.’ It was a good deal for me.”

Johnson first emerged onto the scene as a potential Power 5 cornerback in July 2021 when Williams took him to a camp under the lights at Florida.

Johnson had been Wharton’s leading receiver in 2020 as a sophomore thanks to his size — he’s listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds — and physicality. But toward the end of the season, when injuries left Wharton thin in the secondary during a playoff game, Williams threw Johnson in at cornerback at the player’s request.

“He can be the waterboy. He can play center. Whatever you need him to do, he thinks he can do,” said Williams, a former All-America wide receiver at USC and a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2005. “He was like, ‘Coach, put me in. I can guard them. I can guard them.’ We threw him in there. And the rest is history.”

When Johnson arrived at the Florida camp on July 30, 2021, Gators coaches had seen only about five or six plays of him on film at cornerback — all in that playoff game.

But he performed so well in one-on-one drills at the camp that he earned an offer from the Florida staff the next day, joining Boston College and Ole Miss as one of just three offers at the time.

“He went out there, and they were talking about, ‘This guy was the second-ranked guy here and this guy was a five-star guy here’ and yada, yada, and those are the guys that (Johnson) was jumping out to guard in the one-on-ones,” Williams said. “That was the defining moment for him.”

UCF extended an offer in September. Then a mix of Group of 5 and Power 5 programs followed in the ensuing months. But when Oklahoma offered in December, just days after former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables took over the program …

“That’s when it started to evolve and blow up,” Johnson said.

Johnson appeared to like Oklahoma and at one point had planned to take an official visit to the school. But his flirtation with the Sooners ended when he committed to Ohio State on April 17. The Buckeyes stood out during his recruitment, he said, in part because of their ability to pump out NFL talent. Especially at his position.

“It’s structured like an NFL-type (team),” Johnson said. “Just preparing you for the next level. So that’s what I like.”

Williams said every part of the Ohio State package resonated with his star player.

“I’m not trying to put Wharton High School on the level of The Ohio State — and I always say that because they trademarked the ‘The,’ so I can give it to them — but I think the structure of the program and honestly (their) evaluating, I think it really impacted him,” Williams said.

“He was really attracted to how he wasn’t being told that he would play right away. … The part about having to come in and work hard, that kind of spoke to him more than some other pitches that were more based around, ‘Oh, you’ll play early,’ etcetera, etcetera.”

Johnson singles out one play from his junior season that best displays his skill set on the field and his smarts in the film room. In October against Armwood High, the Wharton defense jumped into Cover 2. Johnson quickly diagnosed the next play from his time studying film and stepped in front of the slot receiver who was running a quick out.

“I’d seen and I immediately jumped it like that,” Johnson said, snapping his fingers. “And I took it like, 60, 70 yards for a touchdown.”

For Williams, Johnson’s most memorable moment came against Wiregrass Ranch in September.

“He was going up against fellow Ohio State commit Bryson Rodgers. And Bryson looked pretty good. He looked open,” Williams said. “And then at the last second, (Johnson) just shows up, and just, ‘Wham.’ Dislodged the ball.

“So I think his big hit on Bryson Rodgers was probably his big play for me.”

Johnson has come a long way from an under-the-radar prospect to one of the nation’s most coveted. That’s why Williams still keeps the registration receipt from the Florida camp, where Johnson first showed that he was worthy of a top-100 ranking, in his wallet for posterity.

“I just felt like it was (one of) the defining moments for him,” said Williams.

“I think (Johnson) is a pro. I just think he’s a pro. I think he’s a pro physically. I think his approach to the game, his want to — I just think the sky’s the limit for him. And I think that’s what’s exciting about him going to a program that has a nice run the last few years of developing good perimeter talent.”

(Photo of Mike Williams Sr. and Dijon Johnson courtesy of Mike Williams Sr.)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57km1rcnFma3xzfJFrZmlvX2eEcLvHoqZmq6SWwaZ50Z6aq62Zqbavs4ydoKOnnmK3sLTNrKanZw%3D%3D