The biggest question for the Ohio State football program when it came to the existing coaching staff was Larry Johnson. He took a lot of time in the winter to decide if he was going to keep coaching. It wasn't until almost right before Spring practice started that he decided he was coming back.
Johnson has had a legendary career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He has recruited and developed a lot of great defensive linemen over the years. But he's 73 years old and will likely be retiring soon. His recruiting has really fallen off, and it's starting to be noticeable in a real way.
The Buckeyes are still in pursuit of some defensive linemen for the 2026 class and still have a shot to land some really good ones. Unfortunately, they are also missing out on some easy recruits. The latest one is an in-state defensive lineman Jamir Perez, who is from Cleveland.
Recruiting concerns for Larry Johnson and Ohio State continue
Perez was seen as a layup for Ohio State because he is a local kid. It seemed like they were going to be able to wrap him up without too much of an issue. Instead, he committed to Florida, leaving the Buckeyes behind. It's not often that Ohio State loses an in-state kid that they want.
Perez's choice of Florida is a sign of a bigger concern. It shows a continuing pattern of Larry Johnson not being able to maintain his high standard of recruiting that he had set earlier in his career. Now that that's happened, it might be time for him to call it a career.
Regardless, he will be with the Buckeyes for at least one more year. Ohio State needs to do the best that they can with him and allow him to develop the players on the current roster. Recruiting needs can be fixed next offseason.
Even though Perez is just a three-star prospect, the Buckeyes should be able to land those kinds of players whenever they want, especially when they are from the state of Ohio. Hopefully, Johnson has some bigger fish he's about to reel in.