Nasir Johnson originally committed to play college football at Florida. He later flipped to Georgia.
The former four-star recruit had some strong words for the Gators under their previous regime.
His decision to play college football for the Bulldogs stemmed from a desire to grow as a player on his favorite team. There is a severe gap in talent and development between the two programs.
Who is Nasir Johnson?
At 6-foot-4.5, 300 pounds, Johnson was rated as a four-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2024. He was ranked as the No. 10 player at his position, the No. 7 player in the Peach State and the No. 52 player in the country.
The monstrous defensive lineman received 17 scholarship offers out of Dublin High School in Georgia. It ultimately came down to Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Auburn, Tennessee, Miami, Ole Miss, Florida State, Indiana and Nebraska were also in the mix, among others. Nasir Johnson ultimately committed to the Bulldogs.
His highlight tape showed a lot of promise. There was a lot of excitement about his potential.
However, as is often the case with underclassmen at Georgia, Johnson has not received a lot of playing time during his first two seasons of college football. He saw limited action in two games as a freshman and two games as a sophomore with one solo tackle against Charlotte in 2025. The Bulldogs list him as a redshirt sophomore for 2026. This upcoming fall will be his third.
Although things can change during fall camp and into the first few weeks of the season, Johnson currently projects fourth on the depth chart at defensive tackle. Kirby Smart and Glenn Schulmann will likely rotate him in as a depth piece.
Why did he play college football at Georgia instead of Florida?
Nasir Johnson originally committed to the University of Florida on June 17, 2023. He took two visits to the University of Georgia in September and November. He later flipped his commitment from the Gators to the Bulldogs four days after his second visit to Athens and eventually signed his National Letter of Intent in December.
Johnson spoke about his decision on the latest episode of the ‘FOR ALL MY DAWGS‘ podcast. The third-year defensive lineman said that he was “never going to go” to Florida. It mostly came down to stability.
Johnson did not care how much money either school was willing to pay him. Georgia was his dream school. His original commitment to Florida was just to see whether the Gators really wanted him or if they were really trying to keep him away from the Bulldogs. It was, in large part, a test.
With that being said, Johnson’s decision came down to opportunity. He could’ve played right away at Florida but he did not (and does not) mind sitting a few years behind someone with experience from whom he can learn. And, under the previous regime in Gainesville, he didn’t feel like he was going to get developed in the same way he would in Athens. Especially when it comes to practice.
Johnson questioned why he would go somewhere where he’s “basically playing on high school talent” where he’s “not getting developed” instead of a school with a proven track record of success at his position with one of the most talent rosters in the country. It was a no-brainer.
The coaching staff at Florida today is completely different than three years ago. Jon Sumrall clearly has a lot of work to do to change the perception of the program and to improve the Gators’ place in recruiting.