James Johnson, a defensive lineman for the North Fort Myers High School football team practices on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. Andrew West/The News-Press/USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1 2026 Defensive Lineman James Johnson Has His Official Visit With Miami Locked In

Originally posted on Miami Hurricanes on SI
By Justice Sandle | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 5:48 PM ET

The top-ranked defensive lineman in the 2026 class per On3 has scheduled five official visits according to a new report by On3's Hayes Fawcett.

James "JJ" Johnson, a consensus four-star recruit from North Fort Myers High School and Cape Coral, Fla., has set dates for where he will be taking five official visits.

NEWS: Elite 2026 DL James “JJ” Johnson has his Spring and Official Visits locked in, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’3 285 DL is ranked as the No. 14 Player (No. 1 DL) in the ‘26 Class per On3https://t.co/fZmb7mLvuW pic.twitter.com/lanCrmOV0B
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 24, 2025

The 6-foot-2.5, 285-pound defensive lineman travels to Penn State first on May 16 followed by Syracuse two weeks later on May 30. Johnson will then stay in-state with visits to Miami on June 6 and Florida on June 13. One week after on June 20 he will visit Georgia.

On3 gives Florida, Miami, and Georgia, in that order, the best chances to eventually land Johnson.

The Miami Hurricanes begin to turn their attention to the 2026 class. They already have three commits and currently have the No. 31 class in the country according to 247 Sports. They are ranked No. 13 on On3, so it is hard to judge where they stand.

Class of 2026 Commitments

CB Camdin Portis, 6-foot, 165 lbs. - Charlotte, North Carolina (Committed 10/27/2024)
LB Jordan Campbell, 6-foot-2, 200 lbs. - Opa Locka, Florida (Committed 11/21/2023)
QB Dereon Coleman, 5-foot-11, 165 lbs. - Orlando, Florida (Committed 07/03/2024)

Check out the Miami football recruiting tracker for a full breakdown of the 2026 classes and more.