It may be the middle of fall, but we have a black stripe alert, and it's a big one. Five-star linebacker Cincere Johnson has lost his black stripe and has been officially welcomed into the Ohio StateBrotherhood.
Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Johnson made his way to Columbus via Glenville High School, joining a long list of Tarblooders who have journeyed down Interstate 71 to wear the Scarlet and Gray. As a high school prospect, Johnson was rated as the No. 2 linebacker in the nation and a Top 25 overall recruit according to 247Sports composite rankings. He was the second highest rated player in the Buckeyes' recruiting class, behind Chris Henry Jr. and the No. 1-rated player in Ohio.
Through four games in his college career, Johnson has appeared
in three contests, recording three tackles against Ball State and another three tackles against Kent State. He saw action against Illinois but did not record a tackle.
🚨 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 🚨
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 30, 2026
Backerhood is adding a guy who lays the BOOOOOM 💥 Welcome, @JCincere8 🌰 pic.twitter.com/DsKQYx14ST
Johnson has all the intangibles to be the next great player to come out of Glenville, which has become a pipeline to Ohio State. The last player to come from the school was a guy by the name of Arvell Reese, who went No. 5 in the 2026 NFL Draft and is starring for the New York Giants on Sunday afternoons.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Black Stripe Alert! Five-star linebacker sheds black stripe
