BREAKING: Elite DL James Johnson Commits To UGA Football Over Florida And Miami
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ATHENS - Georgia Bulldog assistant Tray Scott does it again.
After landing the No. 1 DL prospect in the 2025 cycle in five-star Elijah Griffin, Scott went out and landed a commitment today from the No. 2 DL prospect in the 2026 class.
Four-star defensive tackle, James Johnson.
The Dawgs were always towards the top of Johnson’s list but sources told Dawg Post that Florida and Miami were the two teams trending throughout the month of June. However, Scott and the defensive staff kept their foot on the gas and were able to land his commitment.
The 6-foot-3 285-pounder out of Northwestern (FL) gives Georgia another elite defender in the 2026 class and becomes their highest-ranked current commitment on defense.
Johnson also becomes Georgia’s seventh commitment over the last seven days and their 14th commitment in the month of June.
What will Johnson bring to Athens?
Explosiveness and natural power.
He’s not the biggest or heaviest guy, but he’s one of the quickest and most explosive interior defensive linemen you’ll find across the country.
Johnson is lightning quick off the snap with impressive strength. He moves extremely well for someone 280+ pounds and is strong enough to overpower opposing linemen with ease. He can either plow through his opponents or beat them with quickness. It really doesn’t matter. He lived in the backfield for his North Fort Meyers team last season, blowing up plays in the backfield left and right all season long.
He can take on double-teams in the run game and split double-teams when attacking the quarterback. He’s simply too fast and too strong for opposing offensive linemen in the region. He flashes big-play ability on a consistent basis and makes it look easy. He’s one of those “game-changing” interior linemen that can set the tone in the trenches. He can make the jaw-dropping play and can do the dirty work too, freeing up linebackers behind him to come unblocked and make a big play behind the line of scrimmage.
If he continues to work hard and develops more and more under Scott, one of the best defensive line coaches in the county, Johnson has a chance to be a multi-year starter and one of the best in college football down the road. It’s clear this is a guy Georgia fans should be extremely excited about.
As a junior last season, Johnson made 60 tackles, 19 TFLs and five sacks in nine games. He’s ranked as the No. 2 DL prospect and the No. 47 overall prospect in the country for the 2026 class.
Johnson is Georgia’s fourth defensive line commitment joining four-star Carter Luckie, four-star Seven Cloud and three-star Corey Howard. He’s also Georgia’s 24th overall commitment in the 2026 class.