Buckeyes land five-star defensive back

Ohio State bolstered its already top-ranked 2018 recruiting class on Tuesday evening, landing five-star Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity defensive back Tyreke Johnson. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound prospect chose the Buckeyes over Clemson, UCLA, and many others.

"I've actually been committed for about two weeks now," Johnson said. "Coach Meyer told me he wants me to get up here in January and get stronger so I can be ready to play right away."

Johnson will join former high school teammate Shaun Wade in Columbus when he enrolls in January. An October official visit for the Penn State game gave the Buckeyes some momentum as the trip impressed both the player and his mother.

"It was just the tradition and the family atmosphere, how they treat their players," said Johnson of his commitment to the Buckeyes. "They run the program like a business with the players' best interests in mind."

Persistence paid off for the Buckeyes in this one. At one point over the summer and into the early fall, it did not look like Columbus would be the destination. However as things began to fall in place, Ohio State was able to stay in the race and then make their move in October.

"I'm close with all of the coaches to be honest with you," he explained. "They recruited me as a group effort, including coach Meyer personally. He was one of the bigger recruiters for me, I speak to coach Meyer pretty much every day."

Johnson is the No. 1 ranked safety in the nation according to Rivals.com, but is being recruited to play cornerback by the Buckeyes.

Rivals.com's Rob Cassidy contributed to this report.