Alabama makes final three list of elite recruit and cites former Tide great Reuben Foster as his favorite player
The Alabama Crimson Tide are looking to leverage as much as they can in the pursuit of one elite defender. Class of 2026 top linebacker Cincere Johnson is in Ohio State's backyard, but Kalen DeBoer has a fighting chance in the race. The Cleveland, Ohio, native is at Glenville High School, which has traditionally fed […]
The Alabama Crimson Tide are looking to leverage as much as they can in the pursuit of one elite defender. Class of 2026 top linebacker Cincere Johnson is in Ohio State's backyard, but Kalen DeBoer has a fighting chance in the race.
The Cleveland, Ohio, native is at Glenville High School, which has traditionally fed Ohio State its top stars each year. But his top three of Alabama, Ohio State, and Penn State have something in common that neutralizes the race a bit.
“When I was younger, these three schools were my dream schools growing up,” Johnson told On3. “Watching Reuben Foster at Alabama. Coach (Dan) Connor the linebackers coach played at Penn State. Watching Ohio State and Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. and (James) Laurinaitis."
His official visits begin in mid-May with Penn State up first. Alabama will have Johnson on campus May 30 before Ohio State closes out his visits. Johnson made it clear he doesn't expect his recruitment to last much longer after his June 13 trip to Columbus.
“On one of these OVs I’ll see something that will set me off and allow me to make the best decision for the next three to four years.”
He showed a lot of love to the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes, but there's enough of a connection to Alabama's history of producing NFL linebackers to be somewhat optimistic.
“Alabama is a great program,” Johnson said. “Just a rich history behind things they’ve done. I’ve also gained a great relationship with Coach Kane (Wommack), Coach Chuck (Morrell) and Coach (Kalen) DeBoer). Alabama has a rich history. That program, everything about it, it’s a major school. You can’t deny it. The thing they’ve done with linebackers, their portfolio is unmatched.”
