Texas Longhorns Flip Five-Star Defensive Lineman From Georgia Bulldogs

AUSTIN -- So much for those summer recruiting concerns.

The Texas Longhorns secured another major recruiting win over the Georgia Bulldogs on Tuesday by flipping 2026 five-star defensive lineman James "JJ" Johnson, per On3's Hayes Fawcett. A product of Miami Northwestern High School, he had been committed to Georgia since June 28, 2025 after being down to Texas, Georgia, Florida and Miami.

It didn't take long for Johnson to have a change of heart. The news also came on SEC Media Days just a few hours after Texas' Steve Sarkisian and Georgia's Kirby Smart took the stage for their respective press conferences in Atlanta.

Another Recruiting Win Over Georgia

Flipping Johnson from the Bulldogs marked Texas' second 2026 recruiting win over Georgia on Tuesday, as the Longhorns also landed a commitment from five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson earlier that morning. A product of Grayson High School in Loganville, GA., Atkinson chose Texas over Georgia, Clemson and Oregon.

As for Johnson, he recently received a five-star ranking from Rivals, where is listed as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the class and the No. 10 overall player in the country.

He previously told Rivals' Chad Simmons that his original decision to choose Georgia came down to the program's history of sending defensive lineman to the NFL.

“Georgia is DLU,” Johnson told Simmons. “They are all about development. What made Georgia No. 1 is the way they develop defensive linemen, my relationships with the coaches and the fit into their scheme. They run a great defense that really fits the way I play, so I know I can excel there. That is what it came down to.”

Johnson transferred to Miami Northwestern High School this offseason after previously starring at North Fort Myers. Last season, he posted 60 tackles (29 tackles for loss) and five sacks while playing in just nine games due to a knee injury, per 247Sports.

Johnson now helps headline an elite Texas 2026 class that will almost certainly fly up the national rankings with this latest addition. He joins five-star players like Atkinson, quarterback Dia Bell, edge rusher Richard Wesley and athlete Jermaine Bishop Jr.

Wesley was previously committed to Oregon before decommitting in May and eventually choosing Texas in June. Johnson is now the second five-star flip for Texas this summer.

The Longhorns will look to add even more talent to their 2026 recruiting class as the regular-season opener against Ohio State approaches on Aug. 30.