5-star Texas commit could end up on 'flip watch' sooner rather than later

Just over a month ago, five-star defensive lineman James Johnson committed to play for the Texas Longhorns. Now, people are waiting for him to flip his commitment.

Despite his commitment, the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators have continued to push for Johnson to join their teams, especially with the highly coveted DL hailing from Miami, FL.

According to On3 and Rivals, Johnson is even looking to schedule visits with both programs on game days this fall, with the Longhorns playing the Gators in Gainesville on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The (now combined) recruiting site gives Florida a minimal 2.3 percent chance to land Johnson's commitment, followed by the Hurricanes at 1.1 percent. Meanwhile, it gives the Georgia Bulldogs a whopping 29.8 percent chance, with Texas clinging to 63.8 percent odds to keep Johnson in Austin.

The reason the Bulldogs still have such a high chance to land Johnson? Well, he actually flipped his commitment from Georgia to Texas in July:

"It's just a better environment and better culture," Johnson said about Texas when he decommitted from Georgia and chose the Longhorns instead.

Over the summer, Johnson visited Georgia, Texas, Miami, Florida, and the Florida State Seminoles while making his decision to flip from the Bulldogs to the Horns.

This isn't the end of the world. Johnson also shared that he planned to visit the Horns this fall, while sharing that he has continued to hear from other programs following his commitment to Texas. Not to mention, Johnson is just one of a handful of defensive stars committed to UT in the class of 2026.

Tyler Atkinson, a five-star linebacker, and Richard Wesley, a five-star EDGE, are the highlights of Texas's defensive recruits from the upcoming class, alongside four-star cornerback Samari Matthews and four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland, just to name a few.

Currently, the Longhorns lay claim to the No. 5 recruiting class of 2026 and the No. 2 class in the SEC, just a few steps back from their class of 2025, which ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The shining star of head coach Steve Sarkisian's recruiting class is none other than five-star quarterback Dia Bell, who continues to lay it on thick with fellow prospects that Texas is working to land.