With only one committed so far, it is no secret that Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class is in desperate need of defensive linemen. So, when Jamir Perez committed to the Florida Gators back in May, Ryan Day and his coaching staff didn’t give up on recruiting him. That stick-to-it attitude may be paying off, as there are now multiple predictions for Perez to flip his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Perez's commitment to Florida came as a surprise to many. After all, he’s not just an Ohioan, he’s an Ohioan who plays his high school football at Glenville-a noted Ohio State pipeline. At the time, he said he was shutting down his recruitment and would not take any other visits. A few weeks later, when he scheduled a visit with the Buckeyes for the weekend of June 13-15, it was time for Gator fans to be surprised…and worried.
He made the trek down I-71 on the same weekend Glenville teammate Cincere Johnson, a top 100 player nationally, was visiting as well. At the time, Johnson was considered to be leaning heavily towards Ohio State.
When he committed to the Buckeyes late last week, you quickly saw speculation that it was only a matter of time before Perez flipped his commitment to the defending national champions. On Sunday, two recruiting experts for On3 put in predictions of Perez flipping to the Buckeyes. Allen Trieu of 247 Sports spoke to Perez on Monday and feels he is going to be joining Johnson as well.
Jamir Perez is a rising three-star recruit who should be elevated to four-star status by the end of the upcoming high school season. The thing to love about him right now is his size. At 6’4”, 330 pounds, he is that big body-type defensive tackle who eats up space in the middle. OSU’s current roster is proof that those guys are not easy to come by. Perez should be viewed as a project. He has work to do, but the potential to be a useful player is there.
Despite the predictions, Gator and Buckeye fans alike will have to wait for Perez to make a formal announcement. He is planning to do so just before the first game of Glenville’s season on August 22nd.