The Georgia defense could get a little stronger with the potential commitment from one of the top defensive linemen in the Class of 2026. 4-star defensive lineman James Johnson, who is ranked as the No. 2 DL in his class according to On3, is currently projected to land with the Bulldogs just two days before he is set to announce his commitment.
Georgia's defense has always been the highlight of their team, especially in the Kirby Smart era, so the addition of Johnson would just make sense, but Georgia is having to battle a lot of other teams for the top-ranked defensive lineman.
The Bulldogs are having to fight against two Florida schools in Miami and rival Florida, as well as new SEC rival Texas. Now, Johnson has been projected to land with the Bulldogs, even though his official visit to Athens was almost a month ago. The Florida prospect is ranked as the No. 6 player in the state, so the attention from the Florida schools makes sense.
On3’s @ChadSimmons_ and @SWiltfong_ have logged expert predictions for Georgia to land elite DL James Johnson🐶
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 25, 2025
Johnson is the No. 1 DL in the 2026 On300.
Read: https://t.co/wypSmikIoO pic.twitter.com/Juccwgm5Sy
James Johnson's commitment would be huge for Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs have been battling for a top spot in this recruiting cycle for a while, and while Johnson's commitment won't vault them to No. 1, it certainly will help with their ranking. Kirby Smart has worked his butt off this recruiting cycle to build an elite class and he has done just that.
Some would say that Georgia had a bit of a down year this past season with a first-round exit in the College Football Playoff. Not many teams can not win a National Championship and it be called a failure of a season, even with a conference championship and a CFP appearance. Georgia wants to get back to their championship-winning ways, and building elite recruiting classes will help do just that.
Georgia also being able to beat out other top schools would be big for the Bulldogs.