Is Ryan Day slipping off the race for another recruit? He currently has the No. 3 class of 2026, with 13 total commits and 2 five-star prospects. While Day looks good in landing a few other names at Columbus, he has to roll up his sleeves for a top defensive prospect. Set to announce his commitment soon, this star is potentially seeming to favor a huge CFB blue-blood over Ohio State. He likes Matt Patricia and Ryan Day, and OSU is his local school. However, he might be liking a program down south more.

The Buckeyes’ defense is currently going through a major change. Patricia is revamping a defense based on Jim Knowles’ elements but also adding touches of his own. The current scenario impressed 4-star linebacker Cincere Johnson, the No. 3 prospect in that position of the 2026 class. “I’ve been able to see how things are run this spring coming off a national championship. They’re not getting too lax. The addition of coach (Matt) Patricia also shows the things that he brings to the table and the way Ohio State is going to be run this year,” he told the media.

Matt Patricia appreciation aside, Johnson is showing keen interest in Alabama as well, visiting the program officially over the weekend. “It went very good,” he told On3 about the trip. “My biggest takeaway was how I gravitate towards the culture. Coach Chuck (Morrell), Coach Kane (Wommack), everybody on that coaching staff, they’re doing a great job with the defense and the scheme and where I’d fit in,” he said. Though Ohio State is nearly through the door for Johnson, Alabama is picking up its pace. If that were not all, even Penn State is pushing hard for Johnson.

The kicker is that Johnson will announce his commitment on June 19. That’s just 6 days from his Ohio State official visit. Being placed towards the end paints a somewhat easier picture for Day. The Buckeyes get to be a school that will be his most recent visit in the run-up to his commitment date.

Ohio State is also a close program for Johnson, proximity-wise, since he is from Cleveland. Day and James Laurinatis will have to drive their pitch home when Johnson arrives at Columbus and push off the Crimson Tide from making further advancements at the LB. In his 2024 season alone, Johnson racked up 205 tackles (41 TFLs), 8.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. That makes the LB a talented prospect and a useful asset to whichever school he picks.

Matt Patricia seems to be an impactful factor when it comes to defensive prospects choosing OSU as their home. For 4-star Jordan Thomas, the DC seemed to be the game-changing element.

Matt Patricia closing deals for Ryan Day’s defensive targets

Jordan Thomas was keen on Ohio State for a long time. He saw how the Buckeyes’ defense won the National Championship under Jim Knowles. But when he moved to Penn State, Happy Valley also became a key contender in his recruitment race. Matt Patricia, a first-time college football DC, managed to get Thomas to commit to OSU nonetheless. “The addition of Coach Patricia to Ohio State was really the cherry on top,” he said in a June 2 interview for The Austin & Birm show on 97.1 The Fan.

“Coach Patricia, the way he sought after me and wanted to build a relationship with me, wasn’t like any other defensive coordinator that was recruiting me. He really wanted to coach me, he really wanted to get to know me, and he really saw me fitting really well into his defensive scheme,” he added further. When he announced his commitment, Johnson also told Eleven Warriors that Patricia plans to start him as a cornerback and then eventually move inwards to nickel or star.

Patricia did not have experts sold on him being a great hire for OSU. After all, his locker room behavior was a huge red flag for them. But now in a different scene and with new stakes, the DC has quickly fit into the Buckeyes’ culture. Current players told Eleven Warriors that they had nothing but good hopes for Patricia as their coach. “Man, I really like Coach Patricia a lot. It’s what can he do for you, not what can you do for him? And he’s just trying to serve and help, and I’ve learned so much football in this past two weeks, more than I’ve learned in my whole lifetime,” said LB Payton Pierce.

Ryan Day is getting defensive targets to pay the program a lot of thought, especially with their past and present defense in consideration. Will he be able to land Cincere Johnson, who is also hopeful about Matt Patricia as the Buckeyes DC?