Syracuse football may be losing steam with 4-star James Johnson, nation's No. 1 DL

You never know how things will ultimately shake out until a high school prospect puts pen to paper, but my sense is that Syracuse football may have lost momentum with 2026 four-star prospect James Johnson, the nation's No. 1 defensive lineman, according to On3.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson, a top-15 national prospect in his class per On3, unofficially visited the Orange in late March, and reports had indicated that he would officially visit Syracuse football during the weekend that began on May 30.

However, per his X page, Johnson didn't make a trip to the Hill that weekend, opting instead to officially visit Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia.

On June 18, On3 national recruiting expert Hayes Fawcett reported via X that Johnson would take an official visit to another SEC titan, Texas, this weekend. Fawcett added that Johnson "was originally scheduled to visit Syracuse."

Elite defensive lineman James Johnson has been high on Syracuse football.

A dead period in college football recruiting runs from June 23 until July 31. Certainly, Johnson could end up taking an official visit to the 'Cuse after the dead period or even later on this year. It's unclear to me when he plans to make a college decision, although some media reports have stated that he is eyeing a commitment announcement this summer.

Of course, even if Johnson verbally pledged to another suitor soon, the early signing period for 2026 prospects isn't for a few months. Head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff could continue to pursue Johnson after he makes a verbal commitment, assuming it's to a college program besides Syracuse football.

Recent reports state that, at this juncture, Georgia and Miami may be the front-runners for Johnson. At the beginning of March, he disclosed a top 10 of the Orange, Georgia, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Southern California, Colorado, Penn State, UCF and Texas.

In recent weeks, Johnson has taken official visits to Georgia, Miami, Florida and Florida State. He will spend his senior season at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, a powerhouse program in the Sunshine State that the 'Cuse coaching staff is recruiting hard these days.

Calvin Russell lll, a 2026 five-star wide receiver at Miami Northwestern, is set to make his college decision known early next month, and Syracuse football coaches are heavily involved with the top-25 national prospect.

Another Miami Northwestern standout is 2026 four-star defensive back and top-275 national prospect Tedarius Hughes, who is verbally committed to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Florida State.

Per the 247Sports Web site, Hughes is planning to take an official visit to Syracuse football this coming weekend, starting on June 20.