Nation's No. 1 DL Posts Two-Word Message After Flipping From Georgia to Texas

Nation's No. 1 DL Posts Two-Word Message After Flipping From Georgia to Texas originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Georgia Bulldogs have certainly put together a strong 2026 recruiting class, ranking No. 2 in the nation, sporting big names such as five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro and four-star safety Justice Fitzpatrick.

However, they're not a program that's immune to taking some big losses from time to time, and on Tuesday, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett reported that defensive lineman James Johnson, who'd been committed to Georgia since June 28, flipped to the Texas Longhorns.

Quickly after the news broke, Johnson looked to make a good first impression on Longhorns fans, reposting Fawcett's report while writing "Hook em," via an X post.

Hook em🤘🏾 https://t.co/JSHfuNlmKG

— James “JJ” Johnson 5⭐️ (@JamesJohnson_52) July 15, 2025

This is a huge development, as Johnson has proved to be an impressive player at North Fort Myers High School, accumulating 111 tackles, 42 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 18 hurries and three forced fumbles the last two seasons.

That's led him to become one of the nation's most sought-after prospects, as Rivals Recruiting Rankings place him as a four-star recruit, the No. 1 defensive lineman, the No. 8 player in Florida and the No. 42 player in the nation.

His flip to Texas is also interesting because they were one of the four finalists to land his original commitment, along with the Florida Gators, the Miami Hurricanes and of course, Georgia.

For Texas, Johnson becomes a boost to their own impressive 2026 recruiting class, which now has a total of 20 commitments, ranking No. 4 in the SEC and No. 6 in the nation.

He also becomes the second player the Longhorns have landed that ranks No. 1 in their position, joining five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, who committed to the program on Tuesday as well.

Related: Paul Finebaum Didn't Hesitate to Name Texas' Biggest SEC Challengers

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.