Cincere Johnson is a tackling machine in northern Ohio for Cleveland Glenville, and a player on the radar as a future impact player for Ohio State. (Press Pros Photo by Lee Johnson)
Cincere Johnson is a tackling machine at linebacker, and Jamir Perez is the big man in the middle of the line bottling up offenses for the Tarblooders this season. Together they expect to be future impact players for Ohio State.
Cleveland, OH – Like all high school seniors, Cleveland Glenville’s Cincere Johnson and Jamir Perez anticipate future dreams. Some personal, some shared.
They’ve already reached a shared dream as Ohio State football commitments. The next dream to share is to line up on defense for the Buckeyes the same way they will line up again this season for the Tarblooders.
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“That’s the dream,” Johnson said, followed quickly by Perez smiling and saying, “We dream about it.”
Johnson is a middle linebacker, making most of the tackles. And in front of him is Perez, the 360-pound nose tackle tying up blockers so Johnson can make all those tackles. Those starting jobs are a given at Glenville. At Ohio State, they will have to fight much better competition to be the same 1-2 punch as starters.
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“It’s going to take hard work, dedication,” Johnson said. “We always talk and dream about that. We might even be roommates. I’m sure one day I’m going to be in the middle, and he’s with me and right in front.”
Perez likes the sound of that.
“We just got to be passionate about it,” he said. “There’s going to be hard days where you might feel like doing nothing, but we’ve still got to get up, we’ve got to work hard.”
New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia might be the perfect fit for Johnson and Perez. As an NFL coordinator with the New England Patriots, he built around big nose tackles like Vince Wilfork and playmaking linebackers.
“He’s smart, he’s fun to be around, he’s hands on,” Johnson said. “He’s a DC (defensive coordinator) that you want to play for, somebody that makes you want to run through a brick wall.”
“I love him because he’s real with me,” Perez said. “He’s coached some big D tackles, and that’s why he looks at me, and is like, ‘Oh, you’re perfect for the schemes I want.’”
Johnson and Perez are the next two in a long line of Glenville players to choose Ohio State. They will join linebacker Arvell Reese, cornerback Bryce West and tight end Damarion Witten, all former Glenville teammates of Johnson.
Johnson, who committed in June and has played on two state championship teams, chose the Buckeyes over Alabama and Penn State. He is a four-star, the No. 3 player in Ohio and top 100 nationally.
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“It means a lot,” Johnson said. “That program is a prestige program, a historic program. Coming from the background that I come from, playing with a lot of guys that have gone there already, it’s a blessing. And it’s amazing at the same time to know I have the talents to make it that far and write my name on the Ohio State legacy.”
Perez didn’t travel a straight line to Columbus. He committed to Florida before changing his mind to the Buckeyes on July 4. He is a three-star and ranked the No. 29 player in Ohio.
“What changed my mind was the foundation of Ohio State,” Perez said. “There’s no bad blood with Florida or anything, it’s just certain things I saw that I knew that’s not home for me.”
Home turned out to be with Johnson.
“We talked wherever he was going to go, I was going to go,” Perez said. “He’s just my brother at heart, my brother all around.”
Johnson ‘a big, intelligent football player’
Ohio State’s starting middle linebacker this year is Reese, making the comparisons inevitable. Glenville head coach Ted Ginn Sr. can tell the difference.
“Probably more instinctive,” Ginn Sr. said of Johnson. “Arvell is a striker, just a raw athlete. Cincere’s not that, but he’s a big, intelligent football player that studies the game. And his game is fast because he studies.”
Johnson agrees that watching and rewatching a lot of himself and his opponents makes him better.
“I’ve studied film so much, my instincts just take over,” he said. “If I see a formation, I know what’s coming. There’s only so many plays or certain formations for a certain team to run. All high school teams run the same plays – they just run them differently.”
Perez knows about Johnson’s instincts better than anyone.
“He takes my tackles,” Johnson said. “He just comes out of the blue, jumping in the air and getting the tackles. No one can block him.
“On a serious note, he’s just a great person all around. He takes pride in the football and believes in his teammates, and he’s a natural leader. The mentality that he has makes him a great fit for Ohio State.”
Johnson will play this season at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds. He expects to be in the 235 range in college and hopes to grow. His dad is 6-6 and his brother, Fred Johnson, is 6-5 and plays at Louisville. Regardless of size, Ginn Sr. expects Johnson to eventually start for the Buckeyes.
“Smart, just a good kid, tough player,” Ginn Sr. said. “He’s got it all in one package. You don’t find that too often.”
Johnson was 13 when he met Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis. Meeting a former Buckeye great and NFL player made an early impression on Johnson. But not as much as Laurinaitis’ consistency and knack for relating to players.
“He was never somebody that tried to false recruit me,” Johnson said. “He can connect with you on the level of football and outside of football – it’s amazing.”
Perez ‘a pivotal player in the future of Ohio State’
Perez grew up a Glenville kid just like Johnson, but he played his first two years of high school at Lutheran West. As a sophomore he tore the labrum in his right shoulder. That was the impetus to return to Glenville.
“I came back here because I knew this is where I belong,” Perez said. “Once I had that injury, I was just so down on myself, and I was going to give up.”
“Jamir Perez is a huge man. There’s not many bodies in America like that. If he accepts coaching and learns he’s going to be an All-American.” – Glenville coach, Ted Ginn, Sr.
Then Perez talked to Johnson, Witten and others and they convinced him to come home.
At 6-4, 360, it’s obvious to see why Perez is a player Ohio State wants. He wants to play at 335. While pointing to his gut, then his chest and arms, he said “I’m going to lose this weight, and all the weight is just going to go up.”
When Perez gets on the field, however, his quick feet and speed for his size are noticeable.
“He’s a huge man,” Ginn Sr. said. “You don’t find 350 pound, 370 pound kids like that, that can move like he moves. He’s athletic. There’s not many bodies in America like that. If he accepts coaching and learns, with his size and ability, he’s going to be an All-American.”
As the player behind Perez, Johnson notices something else about Perez.
“His best trait is intensity,” Johnson said. “He’s going to blow the guard, the center up, make the play, get up, be hyped, do it all over again.”
Perez will be coached by legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson. He’s produced nine first-round picks and turned three-star recruits into draft picks. Johnson obviously sees more potential in Perez than the recruiting services notice.
“The reason he offered me is because he was like, ‘You could do better, you could work hard, you could lose that weight,’” Perez said. “He was pushing me. He always motivates me to be the best version of myself I can be. He always tells me, ‘You’re just reaching the base of your potential.’ He sees me as a pivotal player in the future of Ohio State.”
The pipeline Ginn Sr. started to Ohio State is fully operational again. But it’s not enough for Ginn Sr. just to see Johnson and Perez wear scarlet and gray
“We’ll be disappointed if they don’t play,” Ginn Sr. said. “We don’t go to Ohio State not to play and not to bring something different to the program.”
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