A former five-star high school prospect from Miami Gardens, Cincinnati Bengals Edge Shemar Stewart had a stellar start to his high school career. Already the third-best defensive lineman in his class, he was to be a key part of the Buckeyes’ intimidating defense. But he turned down his dream-school offer. The reason? An episode concerning defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

After receiving offers from powerhouses LSU, Michigan, and Ohio State, which he called his dream school, Shemar Stewart packed his bags to College Station. Naturally, the question lingered: Why did he pick Texas A&M over Ohio State? The rookie sat down with Malik Wright to reveal his story.

“Funny Story; Ohio State was my dream school,” he revealed to Malik Wright. “Went to my visit. Everything was cool. The D-Line coach (Larry Johnson), said like, “Hey, I’m going to one of your games; just, just wait for me.” You know, we gon’ chop it up after the game, type sh-t,” he added.

A 6’6, 272-pound beast at Monsignor Pace High School, Stewart excelled both in basketball and on the gridiron. In his senior year of high school, he was named to the first-team All-Miami Dade County by the Miami Herald, after he chipped in 85 tackles, 40 for loss, and 15 sacks.

With impressive stats backing up his prowess, 247Sports’ Barton Simmons called him “a grown man out on the edge” in his 2021 evaluation. Shemar was even mistaken by one recruiter in his high school freshman year for a college senior, owing to his size. Naturally, OSU was interested in his pledge, with similar sentiments echoed by Stewart. “Competitive vibe,” he had called the Buckeyes’ environment post-visit, per Eleven Warriors.

Following a one-on-one workout with coach Johnson and Ryan Day, he was clearly in awe. “I really like Coach Johnson. He is an amazing coach and a great teacher,” he had told On3. “I can see why people call him the legend.” But it all derailed when coach Johnson failed to appear at one of his games.

“[I] play the game, look at the sideline. I don’t see him,” he said. “After the game. I check my phone. On a little sports outlet, and mine was like, “Coach so-and-so is at Chaminade Madonna, looking at this player.” OSU was among Stewart’s top five picks for his collegiate career. Bottom line: It all dripped down to relationships. One snub and Stewart had made up his mind. “I said come on, bro, ‘You just told me you gon’ come to my game…you went to somebody else’s game.'”

“So, I took that as like disrespectful…threw him away. I forgot about him.” Then A&M came around, and he landed on the Aggies’ roster. Clearly, this episode is a stark reminder of how relationships can make or break your recruiting efforts. Johnson’s failure to deliver on his promise cost the Buckeyes an elite defensive weapon, who later went 17th in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, signing an $18.9 million rookie contract.

Well, Shemar Stewart wasn’t the only individual who walked out on Ohio State; former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles walked out, too.

Jim Knowles’ philosophical rift with Larry Johnson

The defensive coordinator, who led the roster to the national championship, left after raising the cup. However, after three years, his departure from Columbus raised more than enough eyebrows. And amid the crackling tension, Larry Johnson’s name popped up. The longtime defensive line coach’s four-man front philosophy.

Knowles, as lovingly called “Batman” by defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, spent most of his time scooped into his office, analyzing films and designing tactics. “He is in his cave, and he comes put and you never know what he has in store,” Tuimoloau added. However, Knowles’ three-man front schemes struggled to seep into the defensive culture, as reported by CBS Sports. “When he was at Oklahoma State, they didn’t have four down D-linemen,” Ryan Day had said in October 2024 per 247Sports.

He continued. “And then certainly no depth behind it,” Day said of Knowles in late October, “So, he (Knowles) had to be creative about what he was doing there.” That philosophical rift, coupled with OSU’s 31-32 loss against Oregon, put a strain. Knowles, a veteran defensive coach, found himself increasingly under pressure. “Decision was made a long time ago that we have the D-linemen here at Ohio State that can play with four down linemen.”