Even though he was committed to Auburn since August 2011, Ohio State continued to pursue Lawrenceville (GA) Central Gwinnett LB Trey Johnson.

That persistence paid off, as Johnson verbally pledged for the Buckeyes at the Under Armour All-Amerca Game, after taking an official visit to Columbus for The Game back in November and shortly after decommitting from the Tigers following Gene Chizik's dismissal.

The 6-2/220 Johnson is rated as a consensus four-star prospect and is ranked as the third best inside linebacker in the nation, according to the 247 Composite Rankings. He chose the Buckeyes over Auburn, Florida, and USC, but also had offers from Penn State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Oregon, Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, and many other top programs.

Johnson is expected to provide immediate help to a linebacker group that will look to replace two starters, as it loses Zach Boren and Etienne Sabino for next season. He is likely going to play on the outside versus the middle in college, and if he is talented enough to learn all of MIKE, WILL, and SAM, there could be a legitimate opportunity for him to see the field in big-time minutes next season.

We will look to catch up with Trey to hear his thoughts on joining Buckeye Nation, so stay tuned to 11W for that and more on the Ohio State recruiting trail.

HIGHLIGHTS: