An afternoon with Paris Johnson Jr.: Hes more than just a 5-star talent for Ohio State
CINCINNATI — Jackson Carman already had broken Ohio State’s heart, enrolled at Clemson and started his college career when he sent Paris Johnson Jr. an invitation to his graduation party.
Carman, a five-star offensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class, was back in southwestern Ohio celebrating with a family-only party at home. There were maybe 15 people there.
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Carman was one of Ohio State’s top targets in the 2018 class and the No. 1 prospect in Ohio. Urban Meyer offered him as a high school freshman and heavily recruited him for four years, all the way until the day Carman put on a Clemson visor at his National Signing Day ceremony in December. There were times during his crazy, unpredictable recruitment when the whole world expected him to be a Buckeye, and maybe there were instances he thought he was going to be, too.
That’s usually what top recruits in Ohio do: They go to Ohio State.
But Carman isn’t a “usual”— guy. He probably would admit that he has an eccentric personality, so he appropriately did something that most people in his position wouldn’t have done. He said no to Meyer and started the next chapter of his life elsewhere. Carman wanted to experience something different, to be his own man and not simply be the latest great high school player in Ohio to predictably pick Ohio State.
That’s the guy who wanted Johnson Jr. to come over and celebrate his graduation with his family.
“Honestly, I don’t know why he invited me over,” Johnson Jr. told The Athletic, “but I was glad he invited me. I just felt for his graduation party, it was cool to celebrate that with him.”
Had Ohio State fans known Johnson received that invitation, they may have panicked. Like Carman, Johnson Jr. is a five-star offensive tackle from southwestern Ohio; he attends Cincinnati St. Xavier and is the No. 1 player in the state in the 2020 recruiting class; he also is a national top-10 prospect. Fans may have thought Carman was inviting Johnson to get into his ear about Clemson, to try and sway another elite prospect from the Cincinnati area to leave Ohio and join the Clemson family.
Nope.
Carman just wanted to get to know someone who was going through what he went through as a five-star prospect. Carman knew all about the endless stream of phone calls from coaches, the college visits, recruiting updates, Twitter posts and general pressure Johnson Jr. was feeling. He wanted to invite him to the party, be a friendly face and offer some advice.
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“I just wanted to learn from him,” Johnson Jr. said. “He told me to really talk to the players because that’s who you’re going to spend most of your time with. And just to really look deeper than simply what the coaches are telling you. He told me to look for meaning in everything the coaches are saying and doing, and not just looking at the flash because that can be distracting.
“When choosing a program, he said it’s easy to pick it for the wrong reasons. You can’t just evaluate a program when it’s a great day. You have to think about if it is one of the worst days possible, will you still enjoy your time at that school.”
A few months later, on June 28, Johnson announced his commitment to Ohio State.
I’m Staying Home!! #GoBucks #Committed pic.twitter.com/Mk8szu6k33
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) June 29, 2018
Johnson’s recruitment took a different path than Carman’s. Carman took all of his official visits, played the Twitter game, kept fans on the edge of their seats and ended the whole thing with a shocking surprise. Carman’s decision was a monstrous get for Clemson and a blow to the Buckeyes.
Think about Carman’s recruitment: The hours and hours coaches spent on the phone and in visits with him, the spat he had with Kirk Herbstreit and ultimately the decision he made. Recruiting is savage on both sides, but Carman’s decision was one of the most shocking recruiting misses of the Meyer era at Ohio State.
Yet somehow, through Carman’s friendship and advice, Johnson arrived at this place. And now Johnson, who still is a high school junior, could be one of the most important recruits the Buckeyes ever have had under Meyer.
Johnson doesn’t have his driver’s license, but when he gets it, he hopes his mother will get him a car in which his 6-foot-7, 285-pound frame can comfortably fit. Maybe a Chevrolet Suburban, something he can drive without the top of his head jamming against the roof of the car.
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His mother, Monica Johnson, went from an older Land Rover to a new Chevrolet Traverse, which isn’t as roomy as a Suburban but still comfortable enough when Johnson pushes the seat all the way back. That’s the car Johnson, his mom and his grandmother, Harriet Chipp, took on the long ride north on Interstate 71 to visit Ohio State on September 3.
Johnson had been itching to get up to Ohio State after the recruiting dead period, but he planned last Monday’s trip deliberately because he wanted to welcome Meyer back from suspension in person. Meyer had spent six weeks watching his character be called into question and his future become unclear. Thus, it must have been rewarding for him to have an in-person visit with the No. 10 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class, a player who has been committed for less than two months and never wavered in that commitment while Meyer was on leave.
That visit wasn’t supposed to send a public message. It was supposed to be a private act of support.
“We just wanted to welcome him,” Monica said. “It’s really that simple. We wanted him to know that he’s been in our thoughts and prayers.”
But that visit was a gesture that will continue to define Johnson as the fanbase learns to appreciate what he already means to the program. And while the love is there for Johnson, remember that Carman – someone who never will be particularly loved in Columbus – provided real, unbiased advice that became strangely applicable: Pick a place where even on your worst day you’ll still love being there.
Johnson won’t arrive at Ohio State until January 2020 at the earliest. But he never stopped loving it since the day he committed. That’s part of the message he personally delivered to Meyer last Monday.
“My mom and I, we talked about it and we felt like it was the best thing to go up,” Johnson said. “We have always felt like (Meyer) is a great person, and all the stuff and accusations, that didn’t change our stance at all. We always like going there and seeing the coaches. Just being able to go up there and seeing everyone up there, it was just exciting. I was able to bring my grandma up there because she hasn’t been to any other schools. She only wanted to see one college: The one I’m going to.
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“So we sat down in (Coach Meyer’s office) and we spoke about my game film and we were breaking it down, talking about some things I need to work on. That’s one thing I liked about Ohio State. During the recruiting process, you hear a lot about being ‘the best left tackle the world has ever seen.’ For any big prospect, that happens a lot. But when I asked Ohio State, ‘What do you think?’ … I wouldn’t only receive positive feedback; they’d correct me on things so I can always improve my game. Everything just means a lot coming from a legendary coach like Coach Meyer.”
Johnson didn’t read articles about what was happening at his future school and never felt compelled to read the university-issued report on the situation. He gave a commitment, and because of advice from St. X coach Steve Specht and conversations with his family, he felt the only rational way to proceed was to let everything play out before reacting. When Meyer was suspended and not fired, that was enough for Johnson to put the entire situation behind him.
While “Ohio State” and “uncertainty” were synonymous, acting coach Ryan Day and the staff remained accessible to recruits and Ohio State has lost just one commitment from the combined 23 prospects who were committed in the Buckeyes’ 2019 and 2020 classes. The lone decommitment came from four-star linebacker Kane Patterson of Nashville Christ Presbyterian Academy, who has since pledged to – wait for it – Clemson.
“I think any time you’re dealing with recruiting, it goes back to relationships,” Day said. “The relationships that the coaches here have built are strong. Also the quality of the young men that we’re bringing in here and the culture of those kids is as strong as any place I’ve ever been, and the support has been strong from those recruiting classes.
“We have probably talked on a daily basis with all of the kids. The communication has been, ‘Hey, listen, you can ask questions, but we may not have the answers to them but ask the hard questions.’ So there’s been open communication with all of them, and because of that they have all stuck together. I know that they all communicate with each other, and so that’s been a positive.”
Now that there has been a resolution with Meyer, Johnson can go back to thinking about Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class, which already has six commitments, including four-star quarterback Jack Miller of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral. The class won’t officially be able to sign for another 15 months, but it already has the foundation in place to do something Meyer never has done at Ohio State: Sign the consensus No. 1 overall class in the nation.
Johnson wants to win Ohio State a recruiting crown before winning a national title on the field. “I believe it could be the best class in history,” he said.
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That brings us to his value to the 2020 class, and a contrast between he and Carman. By committing before his junior season and going all-in as part of the class, Johnson has relieved Ohio State coaches of a tremendous amount of pressure the Buckeyes would have otherwise felt had he decided to take the long way. Think about how many trips, calls, texts, recruiting graphics and all the other tasks that would have had to be completed by Ohio State’s recruiting staff to sign the five-star offensive tackle. Sure, the Buckeyes still call him and show him support and keep in touch, but that panicked state of “we can’t lose this guy” that existed with Carman will never exist with Johnson. He’s on the team before joining the team.

Carman was an Ohio State priority who chose Clemson. It was one of the most surprising misses of the Meyer era for Ohio State. (Photo: Ari Wasserman / The Athletic)
Carman took a lot of energy from Ohio State’s staff. Yes, that’s a regular occurrence in recruiting. Big-time prospects garner a lot of attention from every school but can only choose one, so there are always losers in recruiting battles. But the stakes are immeasurably higher for Ohio State with in-state prospects. It may as well be written on every wall in Ohio State’s facility: Keep elite Ohio talent home.
Johnson could have gone to any of the countless schools he visited – Alabama, Michigan, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Clemson, Georgia. But he’s staying home, drama-free.
“I always dreamed of going to the Army All-American Game and putting on the hat and all that wait-in-suspense stuff,” Johnson said. “I actually planned to commit at this time next year, but through praying about it, I felt like there was no reason to delay. A lot of reason people do it is for the social-media hype and putting pressure and trying to attract attention. And I feel like I didn’t want to mess with people like that or lead them on.
“I know a lot of people on social media will be like, ‘Where are all my Bama fans at, give me a follow’ or ‘I’m thinking this right now.’ I didn’t really want to do that. I wasn’t trying to waste anyone’s time.”
He saved Ohio State a lot more than time. His value is immeasurable.
Johnson speaks Mandarin Chinese. Well, he’s not 100 percent fluent – “maybe 70 or 75 percent,” he said – but his face lights up as he explains how variations in dialects, speed and pronunciation can make it hard for an American to catch on to what’s actually being said. Maybe he’ll minor in Chinese at Ohio State and become 100 percent fluent. Then maybe he’ll take a trip to China or travel the world the way Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald has done.
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It happened by accident because he had to take Mandarin and Spanish, and it was hard to balance both languages, given that his mind would flip back and forth. He picked up Mandarin because, for some reason, he needed to be told something only once and it just landed. It was natural.
“It’s just something I like for the culture and the history,” he said. “I find it very interesting.”
Chinese symbols are unique, but he picked them up quickly. It’s an example of how he can look at complicated visuals, learn them and apply them. You know, like with a football playbook.
“I feel like once I look at a playbook or you tell me exactly what my responsibility is, I don’t need to be reminded again,” he said.
He already has the physical of part of football down. Johnson went from 6 feet 3 to 6-7 from the start of his freshman year to this past summer, and he’s still growing. Though he played on the defensive line, it took Specht one look at him before knowing his future was on the offensive line.
Happy Birthday to THE greatest head coach in college football‼️ @OSUCoachMeyer pic.twitter.com/VIz0VmjJRp
— Paris Johnson Jr. (@ParisJohnsonJr) July 10, 2018
Johnson, whose father is the recruiting coordinator at Pittsburgh for Pat Narduzzi, was brought along slowly at St. X. He didn’t start a game at the varsity level until the end of last year, so this is his first full season at left tackle. Still, college coaches looked at his big frame, his athleticism and his ability to move, then fell in love instantly. His potential is off the charts, which is why he sits atop all the recruiting rankings.
“As physically gifted as he is, he still has no idea what he’s doing right now and he’s still pretty doggone good,” Specht said. “The potential for him – the future is very, very bright. You come into the weight room and watch him squat and lift and bend, and you could see he’s different. … If God could create a left tackle, he’d make Paris.”
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While it missed out on Carman at the end of the 2018 recruiting cycle, Ohio State still brought in an acclaimed group of linemen headed by five-star Nicholas Petit-Frere, the consensus No. 1 tackle in the class. There are two top-100 linemen thus far in the 2019 class, five-star guard Harry Miller and four-star guard Doug Nester. And Johnson is one of three top-125 linemen already committed to the Buckeyes for 2020. He is joined by four-star center Luke Wypler and four-star tackle Jake Wray. But given how he carries himself off the field and how he’s progressing on it, Johnson is the unquestioned jewel.
“We’re humble people,” said Monica, dumbfounded that a reporter would drive from Columbus to Cincinnati to meet with her son. “He’s just a normal kid.”
Maybe that’s true right now. But sooner than she realizes, he won’t be.
(Top photo by Ari Wasserman / The Athletic)
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