Steve Sarkisian had a great morning of recruiting. He landed five-star linebacker Trey Atkinson straight out of the state of Georgia. Then, his day got even better when he ruined Kirby Smart's recruiting campaign once again.
On Tuesday afternoon, Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns flipped former Georgia Bulldogs commit James "JJ" Johnson, a five-star prospect out of Florida.
Johnson had been committed to the Bulldogs for less than a month. In fact, it had been just 17 days since he had announced his commitment to Smart and Georgia. Just like that, Johnson decided to wear burnt orange instead of
Similarly to Atkinson, who is the No. 1 linebacker in the class of 2026, Johnson is the No. 1 defensive lineman in the recruiting cycle. The pair's commitment to the Longhorns pushed Texas's team recruiting ranking up to No. 26 for the class.
BREAKING: Five-Star DL James “JJ” Johnson has Flipped his Commitment from Georgia to Texas, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 15, 2025
The 6’3 285 DL from Fort Myers, FL had been Committed to the Bulldogs since June 28th
He’s ranked as the No. 1 DL in ‘26 (per Rivals)https://t.co/VeNJnkpzt9 pic.twitter.com/SSRvRwEkIz
Coming out of Florida, Johnson had offers from many powerhouse in-state programs, including Florida, Miami, and Florida State. Initially, he had committed to the Georgia Bulldogs with a simple message, "Go Dawgs."
This time around, the young defensive lineman had a bit more to say about his commitment and his decision to flip to the Longhorns.
“[Texas] really showed me a lot more this time compared to my last visit," Johnson said. “It felt like they really want me here. I love the development they offer, and that’s what I’m looking for.”
Johnson praised Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker, who joined Sarkisian's staff in January of last year.
"[Baker] really wants to coach me,” Johnson said. “I love the way he teaches and breaks things down. He was showing me how they run the defense, running over to plays and explaining things in detail.”
While the No. 6 recruiting class in the country doesn't quite compare to Sarkisian's No. 1 recruiting class of 2025, gaining two five-star commitments definitely pushed Texas in the right direction, especially since they were right in Smart's stomping yard.