BREAKING: CB from Georgia picks Hogs, joins 2023 class
Less than a week after leaving Fayetteville, RJ Johnson has decided it’s where he’d like to spend the next several years.
The three-star cornerback from Georgia was in town for an official visit last weekend and on Saturday, he announced he was committing to Arkansas. He is the 15th member of the Razorbacks’ 2023 class.
Rutgers was the only other school he officially visited this month, but Johnson had planned to also visit Florida before canceling and moving up his commitment date. LSU, Louisville, Ole Miss, Nebraska and several other Power Five schools offered him, as well.
The Razorbacks now have three defensive backs committed in 2023. Cornerback Dallas Young was one of their earliest commitments and safety Christian Ford is one of their latest commits.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Johnson plays at Eagle’s Landing Christian in McDonough, Ga. He is the fourth player from the Peach State to commit to Arkansas in the 2023 class, joining linebacker Everett Roussaw, quarterback Malachi Singleton and defensive tackle Ian Geffrard.
Considering the ties head coach Sam Pittman and several assistants have to the state, as well as the fact that it’s a recruiting hotbed, it’s not surprising the Razorbacks have made more of an effort to land players from the area.
This will mark the fourth straight class — all under Pittman — that Arkansas has landed at least three players from Georgia. Prior to that stretch, the Razorbacks hadn’t signed multiple players from Georgia since 2014 and hadn’t signed three in the same year since 2008.
The 13 total signees/commitment from Georgia over that four-year period is equal to Arkansas’ total over the previous 11 classes.
As a 5.7 three-star recruit, Johnson gives the Razorbacks a 90-point bump, once again moving them into the top 10 in the Rivals recruiting rankings. They went ahead of Baylor and Minnesota and are now No. 10 nationally in the 2023 class.