The Horns got the Florida product on campus for an official visit this month, but couldn’t close over the Dawgs.
Amidst a busy stretch of commitments following the summer official visit season, the Texas Longhorns were unable to overcome the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday when Miami (Fla.) Northwestern defensive tackle James Johnson opted for Kirby Smart’s program over Texas and others.
BREAKING: Elite 2026 DL James “JJ” Johnson has Committed to Georgia, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’3 285 DL from Fort Myers, FL chose the Bulldogs over Texas, Florida, & Miami
He’s ranked as the No. 1 DL in 2026 (per On3)
“Go Dawgs ”https://t.co/VeNJnkq7iH pic.twitter.com/CLvVbAYTTl
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 28, 2025
The Horns were potentially poised to make a late run with the 6’2.5, 285-pounder when he canceled an official visit to Syracuse in favor of making it to the Forty Acres after an unofficial visit in April.
Johnson also took official visits to Miami, Florida, and Florida State, but it was Georgia that ultimately won out, the second head-to-head win for the Bulldogs over the Longhorns in the last two days after Galena Park North Shore safety Chace Calicut pledged to Georgia on Friday despite giving Texas a silent commitment.
Another Longhorns official visitor at the defensive tackle position, Richland (N.J.) St. Augustine Prep’s Demari Simeon, pledged to the Buckeyes on Friday.
With commitments at the position from Dylan Berymon, Corey Wells, and Vodney Cleveland, the numbers are getting more tight for Texas with priority targets like Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab’s Lamar Brown and Fort Myers (Fla.)’s Kendall Guervil still on the board. Both have commitment dates set — Brown will announce on July 10 with Guervil making his decision public on July 2.