Georgia continues to pursue Florida 4-star DL commit Nasir Johnson

Dublin (Ga.) defensive lineman Nasir Johnson committed to Florida in June during his official visit to Gainesville and has been a major part of the Gators’ class ever since.

The Peach State four-star had some interest from the in-state Georgia Bulldogs at that point, but felt like a major priority for Florida. Since then, however, UGA has turned up the heat on Johnson, including hosting him for a visit last month.

He was also in Jacksonville last month for the showdown between Florida and Georgia. And the efforts from his home-state school aren’t going unnoticed.

“Since early in the season, Georgia has been coming very strong,” he told On3’s Chad Simmons last month. “They have been recruiting me really hard lately. Georgia wants me to be a part of the team, they want me to be a Dawg and it is a school I have to look at.”

Johnson will be back in Athens this weekend for an official visit, and according to DawgsHQ.com’s Rusty Mansell, showing him just how much of a priority he is to Georgia could go a long way.

“The key thing here is kind of the details,” Mansell said on Tuesday to On3’s Josh Newberg. “His mother went to Georgia for the first time for that Kentucky game [in October]. That’s the first time she’d ever been on campus. … She got a chance to come to Georgia with him. And at that time, they said, we’re going to make an official, we’re going to set this thing up. He’ll be back with his family this weekend, and I think that’s a big deal. I think he’s a priority for Georgia as an in-state defensive lineman who is a very athletic kid.”

The plan for Johnson in Athens

Georgia has lost a number of defensive linemen to the NFL Draft in recent years, and the Bulldogs have landed five pledges of defensive linemen in the 2024 class to replenish their depth.

They see the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Johnson as someone who could provide some help to multiple areas on the defensive line.

“They say I’m like the ‘athlete’ of the defensive line and they could move me around,” Johnson told DawgsHQ’s Jeremy Johnson earlier this week.

That has made an impact on Johnson. He’s intrigued by potentially having a major role in Georgia’s defense should he flip over the the Bulldogs.

“They’re telling me where I can play in that defense,” Johnson said. “They use a 4-3 defense and they use three different defensive linemen in my position. I can get there as a true freshman and start or at least get playing time. Wherever I go, I’m planning to make a big impact.”

Johnson is the No.  No. 171 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.