Miami RB transfer Chris Johnson Jr. commits to SMU

Former Miami RB Chris Johnson Jr. has committed to SMU, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Johnson Jr. totaled 6 carries for 31 yards for the Hurricanes during the regular season. He was more productive during his true freshman campaign and has 17 career carries for 104 yards and a touchdown to show for it.

Using one of those reasons to redshirt, Johnson Jr. will have three years of eligibility remaining to play for the Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs.

Before college, Johnson Jr. was a highly-touted four-star recruit in the 2023 recruiting class. He was the No. 16 running back and No. 258 player overall in his cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

Johnson will be joining an SMU locker room this offseason coming off its first-ever run to the College Football Playoff. Set to take on Penn State in Happy Valley in the first round, a win against the Nittany Lions would do wonders for the Mustangs on the recruiting trail moving forward and cement them as an annually competitive team in the ACC.

Kickoff between the Mustangs and Nittany Lions is set for Saturday, Dec. 21 at Noon ET. The first-round matchup will air live on TNT and Max, kicking off a full slate of first-round matchups.

The portal officially opened on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

That means roughly 25 percent of all FBS scholarship players hit free agency in one year, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.