The Longhorns made a another big splash on Tuesday with the commitment of the Sunshine State defender.
The Texas Longhorns made a huge splash in the 2026 recruiting cycle on Tuesday, flipping defensive tackle James Johnson from the Georgia Bulldogs.
BREAKING: Five-Star DL James “JJ” Johnson has Flipped his Commitment from Georgia to Texas, he tells me for @rivals
The 6’3 285 DL from Fort Myers, FL had been Committed to the Bulldogs since June 28th
He’s ranked as the No. 1 DL in ‘26 (per Rivals)https://t.co/VeNJnkpzt9 pic.twitter.com/SSRvRwEkIz
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 15, 2025
Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker continues to show why he is rapidly becoming one of the elite recruiters at the position, securing the services of the top player at his position for the 2026 cycle. Johnson committed to Georgia at the end of June, following the close of the summer visit season, but the Longhorns kept pushing for his services, eventually earning the clean flip from the reigning SEC champions.
Johnson is an elite defender regardless of who is evaluating him, rated as the No. 69 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite, while Rivals/On3 lists him as No. 42 player and the top defensive tackle in the country.
To sweeten the deal for Pete Kwiatkowski, this commitment comes on the heels of the Longhorns beating out Georgia for the services of consensus five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson.
Johnson’s addition to the class gives Texas three top-100 defensive linemen in the class, with Corey Wells not far behind at No. 170. Of the top 10 players in the 2026 class for Texas, five of them play along the defensive front — a group that alleviates the Longhorns’ recent need to portal multiple defensive linemen as well as positions them to field an elite defense in the near future.
Texas moves up to No. 6 overall in the 247Sports team rankings and are one more elite addition from moving into the top five yet again.
Film Analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):
Johnson might have some of the most violent defensive tackle tape I’ve seen this cycle and that is really saying something. He already possesses good size at his listed 6’2.5 and 285 pounds and has a giant frame that will continue to hold more mass as he continues to develop. Johnson possesses very good quickness off the ball and the trait that stands out the most to me on his film is the power in his hands and how violent he is with them. Johnson absolutely unloads on opposing offensive linemen from snap to snap and is able to stack and shed them with ease. Johnson is regularly jolting offensive linemen backwards into the backfield before discarding them to go pursue the ball carrier. Shows good quickness and COD in pursuit and shows a pretty decent motor for a player his size.
Johnson has a tendency to play high at times, but his play strength and ability to will his way into opposing backfields render it moot. Shows off cartoonish strength at times when he shot puts opposing linemen out of his way. Johnson profiles as a guy that will command double-teams on a regular basis with his ability to wreak havoc upfront. He is one of the best defensive linemen in this class and has the potential to be a menace at the next level if he takes coaching and is right between the ears.