Nation's No. 1 DL James Johnson sets commitment date, names top 3 schools

James Johnson, the country’s top defensive lineman according to On3, has set a commitment date.

Florida, Georgia, Miami and Texas are the remaining contenders in the race to land him, and one of them will hear their name called when he announces on June 28. Johnson took official visits with the Hurricanes and Gators earlier this month, then opted to take an official visit with the Longhorns this past weekend.

But heading into his decision date this weekend, it’s the Bulldogs who are trending as the favorite to land the star out of Miami powerhouse Northwestern High.

NEWS: Elite 2026 DL James “JJ” Johnson will announce his Commitment on June 28th, he tells me for @on3recruits

The No. 1 DL in the ‘26 Class will choose between Florida, Georgia, Miami, & Texas

Where Should He Go? ⬇️https://t.co/fZmb7mLvuW pic.twitter.com/jmoE7LRhl9

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 25, 2025

On Wednesday, On3’s Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong logged expert picks in UGA’s favor in the Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

“Georgia was the clear favorite at one time for James Johnson, and with Florida, Miami and Texas pushing for the elite defensive lineman in south Florida, we still hear good things around the Bulldogs,” Simmons wrote. “Johnson is set to announce his decision on June 30 and we expect schools to battle up until the time he announces.”

The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder transferred to Northwestern for his senior season, but is coming a junior campaign where he racked up 60 tackles (29 TFLs), 5 sacks and five quarterback hurries in 9 games for North Fort Myers.

He ranks No. 47 nationally and checks in as the No. 2 DL in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3, however, is much higher on him than other services. In the most recent On300 rankings, he was tabbed as the country’s No. 15 recruit, No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 3 player in the state of Florida.