New Texas Longhorns Five-Star Commit Ready to Work in Burnt Orange

The Texas Longhorns have gained two five-star recruits within the past day, one of them flipping from a dominant SEC program.

Texas Longhorns defensive lineman Vernon Broughton (45) celebrates a quarterback sack in the third quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 10, 2025. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

July 15 has been a whirlwind.

While Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and three of his players on his team take on the 2025 SEC Media Days in Atlanta, they have received two updates regarding future personnel.

James "JJ" Johnson flips his commitment

Following five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson’s decision to commit to Texas this morning, defensive lineman James “JJ” Johnson followed suit and decided to flip his commitment and join the Longhorns’ 2026 class.

Johnson, who was committed to the Georgia Bulldogs just a matter of hours ago, followed his new commitment announcement with a brief message on X [formerly Twitter] that reads: “Yes yes let’s work, Hook 'Em”. Below this part of the message, he tagged both Atkinson and five-star quarterback commit Dia Bell. 

The three of them, along with five-star edge rusher Richard Wesley, make up Texas’ list of five-star commits so far this cycle. 

The Longhorns have moved up a grand total of eight places in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings in the past day, as Atkinson’s commitment took them from No. 14 to No. 9, while Johnson’s commitment brought them from No. 9 to No. 6. 

Georgia, on the other hand, has been stripped of the No. 1 spot that they held at daybreak on July 15. They are down a five-star recruit on the day, while their SEC opponent in Austin is up two.

Johnson also timed the announcement of his change of heart to follow the SEC Media Day press conferences of Texas’ Steve Sarkisian and Georgia’s Kirby Smart by just a few hours.

He spent just over two weeks committed to the Bulldogs, as he made his original decision to take his talents there on June 28. The Miami, Florida, native also included Florida and Miami in his list of original finalists. 

With three five-star commits on the defensive side, this 2026 class could be instrumental in helping the Longhorns threaten opposing SEC offenses in the years to come. 

After adding Atkinson and Johnson in just one day’s work, criticism surrounding the Longhorns’ recent losses is likely to dwindle. The Georgia recruiting class, along with USC, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Alabama, still rank higher than Texas’, but they have made progress in closing the gaps today.

These classes aren’t set yet, and there’s no telling what could happen to help or hurt the Longhorns between now and signing day. However, July 15 has turned out to be a day of crucial wins for Sarkisian and his squad.