4-star DL James Johnson enters top 15 nationally; Syracuse football a favorite to land him

Fast-rising junior James Johnson from Florida has two upcoming visits to Syracuse football planned, and he just vaulted into the top 15 around the country in his class.

As noted by several recruiting analysts of late, the 2026 four-star defensive lineman will take an unofficial visit to the Orange this spring and then go on an official visit to the 'Cuse as the summer inches closer.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson, a standout at North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Myers, Fla., is a highly sought-after prospect who holds more than 40 offers. Orange head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff offered a scholarship to Johnson on May 1, 2024.

In a recent post on X, On3 vice president of national college football recruiting and the transfer portal Steve Wiltfong wrote, "Georgia and Syracuse are setting the pace for North Fort Myers DL James Johnson. Miami, Florida, Penn State, Colorado and USC are some of the others he's high on."

Well, well. Let's not forget that before joining Syracuse football as its head coach, Brown most recently was the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia. That would prove a fun recruiting battle for Johnson.

Syracuse football is in a strong position with 2026 four-star DL James Johnson.

Not too long ago, recruiting service On3 updated its 2026 national rankings of the top-300 prospects in that cycle. Following that refresh, Johnson arrived at No. 14 overall, No. 1 at defensive lineman and No. 3 in talent-rich Florida, a state that Orange coaches are recruiting extremely hard these days.

In a recent article surrounding On3's 2026 update, director of scouting and rankings Charles Power wrote, "Johnson is an electric athlete who makes plays in the backfield at a high clip. The 6-foot-2.5, 285-pounder racked up 29 TFL in just nine games as a junior. He is a top thrower in track and field, sporting a stellar 57-7 foot best in the shot put."

About a week ago, 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins published an in-depth evaluation of Johnson. Ivins wrote in part that this Syracuse football recruit is an "explosive defensive tackle with all the fixings to make a living up front ... Likely to face an initial adjustment period as he will see a significant jump in competition when he arrives at the college of his choice, but projects as a potential difference-maker at the point of attack for a College Football Playoff contender that can be stationed at different spots across the line."

Brown and his assistants have signed numerous Florida-based prospects in their large 2025 class at the high school level, while several players who reside in the Sunshine State have verbally pledged to Syracuse football in its 2026 and 2027 cycles.