Four-star S Jordon Johnson-Rubell commits to Texas

The Texas Longhorns are establishing a solid pipeline into the IMG Academy in Florida, which paid off again with the commitment of safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell on Saturday on Rivals YouTube, becoming the third pledge of the day for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff.

Johnson-Rubell, a consensus four-star safety, was a hotly-recruited prospect at his position, boasting 35 offers and ultimately taking six visits in the process of narrowing down his schools. The 5’10, 180-pound defender took official visits to five of those 35 schools in the month of June — the USC Trojans, the Michigan Wolverines, the TCU Horned Frogs, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and ultimately the Longhorns.

After meeting with the coaching staff over the high-leverage recruiting weekend, the blue-chip recruit landed with Texas in a big win for safeties coach Blake Gideon.

During the 2022 season, Johnson-Rubell earned second-team Junior All-American honors from MaxPreps for his work on a defense that forced 30 turnovers and allowed just 3.0 points per game. Before moving to Bradenton, he spent two seasons helping anchor the defense for Fort Worth Brewer, earning All-District honors as a sophomore and making his first appearance on the MaxPreps All-American list for his efforts as a freshman.

Texas continues the heater it is on following the June 23 visit, with yet another key commitment coming out of that weekend. Johnson-Rubell becomes the fifth player from that weekend to commit thus far and is the 11th player in the class overall.

Analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):

Johnson-Rubell is a versatile defensive secondary piece that moved to IMG Academy in 2022 after two standout seasons at Fort Worth Brewer. Possesses adequate size for the position at his listed 5’10, 180 pounds, but punches well above his weight class on tape. Comfortable working from the roof of the defense and dropping out to cover the slot. Displays loose hips to be able to turn and run with receivers in man coverage and has good change-of-direction skills to stay in the hip pocket down the field. Possesses good recovery speed and doesn’t give up on plays. Displays good competitiveness and consistently challenges receivers at the catch point. Showed solid ball skills and big-play ability in coverage with a big pick six against St. Frances Academy that helped seal the deal and give St. Frances their only loss of the season. Shows good range on tape from the middle of the field in coverage and when coming downhill against the run. Physicality is a calling card for him as a player and it is a trait I expect to translate to the next level. He is an absolute stopper as a tackler and is strong open field tackler, who knows how to get ball carriers to the ground. The fun stops when he arrives at the ball carrier. Fights through blocks with urgency. Johnson-Rubell is viewed as an integral part of one of the best defensive units in the country that didn’t concede much in yards or points. Has the look and play of a guy who will get a long look at the nickel/STAR position based on his skill set. Checks a lot of boxes on tape and from an intangibles standpoint that will allow him to be successful at the next level.