Longhorns recruited through the whistle to flip Johnson from the Tar Heels in a whirlwind decision.
Things can quickly when it comes to recruiting, whether it’s a matter of minutes or a matter of hours.
In the case of former Maryland Terrapins defensive tackle Lavon Johnson it was latter, as it was announced earlier today that he had committed and signed with Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels after he took a Thursday visit with the Texas Longhorns.
BREAKING: Maryland transfer DL Lavon Johnson has signed with North Carolina, @PeteNakos_ reports https://t.co/GmZKd2FBvQ pic.twitter.com/i8y46tqDCt
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) April 18, 2025
It appears that Steve Sarkisian and Texas didn’t take no for an answer and continued to recruit Johnson through the whistle despite his initial decision on Friday. On3’s Pete Nakos is now reporting that Johnson flipped his commitment to Texas and will instead be signing with the Longhorns.
Maryland transfer DL Lavon Johnson, who signed a contract earlier today with UNC, has now signed with Texas, @On3sports has learned. https://t.co/VxSGJETKD9 https://t.co/GD5OiBWTMi
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 18, 2025
The saying used to be that you will recruit a player until the ink is dry, and that certainly seems to be the case here with Johnson. It will be interesting to see where things were in the process as far him actually being inked by North Carolina, because if he did sign and submit his paperwork then that would thicken the plot.
As things sit currently, Johnson is the fourth transfer defensive tackle that Texas has pulled from the portal this offseason to go along with Cole Brevard (Purdue), Travis Shaw (North Carolina), and Hero Kanu (Ohio State).
#Texas has now added its fourth defensive lineman of the spring with the addition of Maryland DL Lavon Johnson. First reported by @PeteNakos_.
• Purdue DT Cole Brevard
• North Carolina DT Travis Shaw
• Ohio State DL Hero Kanu
• Maryland DL Lavon Johnson— CJ Vogel (@CJVogel_OTF) April 18, 2025
This marks the second offseason in a row that Texas has aggressively addressed the defensive tackle position via the transfer portal. With guys like Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, and Bill Norton graduating there are big shoes to fill heading into 2025.
The coaching staff is certainly moving with urgency to address the position, as they look to make another splash in 2025 after back to back CFB playoff runs.
A consensus three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Johnson was the No. 1,324 player nationally and the No. 142 defensive lineman, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. After starting his high school career at Allentown (Penn.) Central Catholic, Johnson spent a post-graduate season at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, signing with Maryland over offers from Baylor, Indiana, Michigan, and Virginia Tech, among others.
As a true freshman in 2023, Johnson appeared in six games, recording five tackles and one sack before notching 19 tackles, one sack, and 1.5 tackles for a loss in eight games in 2024. He projected as a starter in 2025, which is why head coach Mike Locksley and his staff were intent on recruiting him out of the portal in December.
Johnson missed several games with injury during the 2024 season and only played 164 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, recording three quarterback hurries and eight defensive stops. By alignment, Johnson played in the A gap, B gap, and also played lined up over an offensive tackle at times, but spent almost half of his snaps in the B gap.