Top 2026 Defensive Tackle Commits to Georgia Bulldogs Over Texas Longhorns

As the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas Longhorns gear up for another year of fighting each other for top spots in the SEC, they have spent the summer engaging in smaller battles over some of the nation’s top 2026 recruits. 

Most recently, Georgia defeated Texas in earning the commitment of four-star defensive lineman James “JJ” Johnson, the No. 1 overall defensive lineman in his recruiting class. 

It was a tight race for James Johnson

Johnson had narrowed it down to Georgia, Florida, Miami and Texas, but the Bulldogs ultimately won him over during his visit on the weekend of May 30.

Despite canceling his trip to Syracuse last weekend to make a last-minute visit to the Forty Acres, the Longhorns weren’t able to emerge on top when it came to his June 28 commitment. 

The Hurricanes and the Gators also came up short, with the upper hand they held geographically when it came to the Miami, Florida, native not proving advantageous enough. 

Georgia’s recruiting class currently sits at No. 3 overall, trailing only USC and Notre Dame. The Longhorns hold the No. 12 spot on the list, and losing out on Johnson doesn’t help their effort to surge higher in the rankings. 

Johnson will likely meet up with the Longhorns again as an SEC opponent during his college tenure, making him a player that the Longhorns will have to continue to keep an eye on.

At 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, 247Sports’ Director of Scouting, Andrew Ivins, notes that the prospect is an “explosive defensive tackle with all the fixings to make a living up front.” 

He added almost 25 pounds to his frame between his sophomore and junior seasons in high school, and Ivins writes that he should eventually be able to cross the 300 pound threshold during his collegiate career. 

Had he chosen Texas as his landing spot, Johnson would’ve joined already committed defensive linemen Vodney Cleveland, Dylan Berymon and Corey Wells. 

This trio is a solid one even in his absence, but losing a recruit as sought-after as Johnson to another SEC powerhouse isn’t an easy pill to swallow. 

That being said, the recruiting cycle will move forward, and it won’t be too long until the Longhorns and the Bulldogs face off in a real on field matchup once again.

The last time the two teams faced each other was during last season’s SEC Championship game, a game in which Georgia claimed a 22-19 win in overtime. 

They are set to meet each other on Nov. 15 in Athens, Georgia, in what should once again be a captivating game for football fans across the nation.