Texas 5-star DL commit confirms loyalty to Horns despite Florida, Miami pushing

All that anyone has been able to talk about since five-star defensive lineman James Johnson committed to the Horns is the fact that he would probably flip his commitment.

The Florida native committed to the Texas Longhorns over his home state teams, the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators. Even with both programs continuing to push for him to change his decision since he committed, Johnson just showed everyone he's sticking with the Horns.

“I’m hearing them out," Johnson said when asked about continuing to hear from Florida and Miami. "But ultimately I’m locked in with Texas.”

These days, it's not uncommon for athletes to leave their recruitment open, even after committing to a program, just so that they can continue to hear from programs. So, no, Johnson has not officially shut down his recruitment.

However, Johnson has repeatedly voiced the fact that he is all in on the Longhorns, something that bodes well for Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian and his continued recruiting efforts.

Johnson is the No. 1 defensive lineman in the class of 2026 and the No. 8 overall athlete out of Florida. His choosing Texas over the dozens of other programs that offered him is a huge indicator that Sarkisian and his staff are doing everything correctly on the recruiting trail.

So far, Sarkisian has brought in the No. 5 recruiting class of 2026, placing Texas second in the SEC. Just last year, he recruited the No. 1 class in the conference and the nation.

Beyond Johnson's commitment, Sarkisian has landed five-star quarterback Dia Bell, five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson, five-star EDGE Richard Wesley, and five-star running back Derrek Cooper, as well as 16 other blue-chip prospects from the upcoming class.

The moral of the story is that the Longhorns will be just fine for years to come, and sooner rather than later, Johnson will play a big part in that.