No. 4 RB LJ Johnson commits to Texas A&M over Texas

After last off dropping his final four months ago, Cypress Cy-Fair star running back LJ Johnson committed to the Texas A&M Aggies over the Texas Longhorns in one of the biggest decisions on National Signing Day.

The four-star talent sided with the Aggies over his other finalists, LSU and Oklahoma, completing a recruitment that was close to inscrutable over the final weeks as his decision dragged out past the early signing period and all the way through January.

Regarded as the nation’s No. 4 running back and as the No. 45 player overall, per the 247Sports Composite, Johnson isn’t a prospect with a storied recruitment featuring too much noise or hype. As one would expect with a top-50 national prospect, Johnson holds 40 offers from some of the nation’s most prominent programs, yet for the most part, the storyline of his recruitment is that of a typical Texas-Texas A&M recruiting battle.

As Texas prioritized top-ranked running back Camar Wheaton and ultimately landed three-star Hallettsville product Jonathan Brooks in mid-May, Texas A&M appeared to be solidifying itself as the team to beat for Johnson’s services. But as the summer progressed, Johnson became clear that Johnson was a priority for Stan Drayton and Texas just as much, and arguably even more than Wheaton entering August, with the help of some Longhorns commits (and former in the case of Jalen Milroe) helping lure Johnson to Austin.

By mid-August, a trio of Crystal Ball picks were placed in favor of Tom Herman’s program as momentum swing in Texas’ favor. However, the late rise of Bijan Robinson likely impacted Johnson’s decision, as he’ll now compete against Isaiah Spiller and Devon Achance for playing time in College Station.

Texas signed Jonathon Brooks in the 2021 class after a big-time senior season and also landed a commitment from 2022 standout Jaydon Blue on Tuesday.