Recruiting insiders show the Florida Gators are going to have to beat out Georgia to land elite defensive lineman

The Gators are used to being in competition with all three schools, including Texas who seem to have a very similar boards when it comes to the defensive line. Johnson is the top defensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class per On3 Sports, while also being the 15th overall ranked recruit in the 2026 class.

Just eight days ago on the 17th, Johnson had a very high chance to land with the Gators with a leading 32.1% per the On3 Sports Recruiting Prediction Machine.

“Florida is definitely high on my list,” Johnson told On3 Sports. “Each time I go, they keep showing why they’re a serious contender. This visit definitely helped them. It gave me more clarity and just reinforced the feeling that Florida is a place where I could see myself growing as a player and as a young man.”

Unfortunately, that has changed for the Gators, as both On3 Sports' national recruiting experts Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons have logged predictions for Johnson to commit to the Bulldogs. They aren't out of it yet, but are certainly trying to climb back into things after Johnson was in Athens this past weekend.

The defensive line has been a huge element of the Gators' recruiting over the past few weeks. They landed four-star defensive lineman JaReylan McCoy and are at the top of the list for five-star Trenton Henderson. If they can get Johnson to commit to the Gators, it would be a massive win for head coach Billy Napier to get one over on two bitter rivals and another one in conference with the Longhorns.