Even though he still has two more years of high school football to play, Jameer Whyce is already working closely with Larry Johnson with his sights set on making an immediate impact for Ohio State in 2028.
Since Whyce’s commitment to Ohio State in October, his conversations with the Buckeyes’ defensive line coach have focused primarily on one thing: What the five-star defensive tackle can do to continue developing as a defensive lineman.
“Every time I talk to Coach Johnson, I ask him, what's something you think I can work on or I should work on or I can improve on?” Whyce said after participating in the Under Armour Next camp in Pickerington last month. “He always lets me know, tells me sometimes in my pass-rush I'm high or in my run game I'm high, and sometimes I strike my hands late. So anything he lets me know I need to fix, get it done.”
On Wednesday, Whyce continued his development with Johnson in person. At the Woody Hayes Athletic Center with his Trotwood-Madison High School team, which was participating in Ohio State’s first 7-on-7 tournament of the summer, Whyce and a couple of his Trotwood-Madison teammates went through a defensive line workout with Johnson, with an emphasis on hand work and technique.
Five-star Ohio State defensive line commit Jameer Whyce getting in some work with Larry Johnson at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this morning.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 10, 2026
Whyce’s Trotwood-Madison team is participating in today’s 7-on-7 tournament at Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/2jVQ1i6GaF
Whyce, whose nickname is “Juice,” says his relationship with Johnson has “grown a lot” since he committed to Ohio State last fall. He feels like he gets better every time he has a chance to work with Johnson, and he felt at home as he worked out in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday.
“I feel real comfortable,” Whyce said of being at Ohio State on Wednesday. “It was just like being at my high school.”
Ranked as the No. 32 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the rising junior class, Whyce became just the second member of Ohio State’s 2028 class when he committed to the Buckeyes, joining running back Elijah Newman-Hall. Nearly eight months later, Whyce and Newman-Hall remain the only Ohio State commits in their class.
Whyce says he takes “a lot of pride” in being one of Ohio State’s first two commits in his class, and he says his commitment to the Buckeyes is firm.
“I made my decision early and I'm going to stick with it,” Whyce said.
Whyce has started peer-recruiting other players in his class to join him as Buckeyes, particularly fellow five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall, who camped at Ohio State on Tuesday.
“We're going to get him here. I'm actually about to call him,” Whyce said Wednesday.
Whyce knows he has a bigger spotlight on him now that he’s an Ohio State commit, something he already experienced last season with the number of double-teams he faced in high school games. As such, defeating double teams is a big point of emphasis for the 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive lineman going into his junior year at Trotwood-Madison.
“How much I seen them last year didn't make no sense, so I got to show this year that I can really dominate on double teams,” Whyce said.
That said, Whyce said the increased attention both on and off the field that’s come with being an Ohio State commit has only pushed him to work harder. With his place in Ohio State’s 2028 class now secure, Whyce is motivated to position himself to play immediately as a freshman.
“I have to develop. I've got to get better at everything. Got to go in there ready to play now,” Whyce said last month. “I don't really want to be no third-year player or fourth-year player. I want to play now, first and second year, and I've got to improve on everything.”
Whyce, who expects to play the 3-technique defensive tackle position at Ohio State, chose to be a Buckeye because he believes Ohio State is the best program in college football and that Johnson is the best defensive line coach in college football. So Whyce knows getting on the field right away won’t be easy, but he’s confident he’ll be ready to make his mark quickly as a Buckeye if he continues to work hard and take all the coaching he gets from Johnson.
“I feel like I’ve improved everywhere, I became more mature,” Whyce said of how he’s developed since he committed to Ohio State. “I feel like since I committed, I have started to work harder, because I don't want to go to Ohio State and become a fourth-string all four years, I want to play now. So I feel like every day it drives me, because I got a big target on my back to be better and train to be better.”
