FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ hot streak in recruiting continued with the commitment of defensive back RJ Johnson, who officially visited the Razorbacks last weekend.
“It was just something special. When I went down to Arkansas, it’s like the feeling was different from where I’ve been,” Johnson said. “Just talking with the coaches and meeting with Coach (Sam) Pittman and being around there and the guys Coach Pittman has surrounding him, it's just amazing. I loved every second I was down there.”
Johnson, 6-2, 200, of Atlanta (Ga.) Eagle’s Landing Christian, picked the Razorbacks over offers from Florida, LSU, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Ole Miss, South Carolina and other schools.
He was able to talk to several Razorbacks players and heard great things about the program.
“Everything Coach Pittman said was true,” Johnson said. “It was just like a family environment down there. It was a place I wanted to be, so that just made me want to pull the trigger.”
He said his relationship with Arkansas cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman played a “huge” role in his decision.
“Just being able to sit down and be in Coach Bowman’s meetings and seeing the energy and passion that Coach Bowman has for the game and seeing all what Coach Bowman can do for me and help my game get to the next level,” he said, “I loved that.”
A consensus 3-star recruit, Johnson was named first team All-State and first team All-Region after recording 40 tackles, 15 pass breakups and 3 interceptions, and scoring 7 touchdowns on offense.
A 1-on-1 meeting with Bowman about football also swayed him.
“It just felt comfortable more so than anywhere else I’ve been,” Johnson said.
He was able to learn about Arkansas’ scheme from Razorbacks defensive coordinator Barry Odom.
“He’s a great defensive coordinator,” said Johnson, who has a 3.4 grade point average and plans to major in business. “Just by sitting in the meetings and hearing what they run…I’m loving that because it’s similar to what I run, so it will be easy for me to adjust and I can play multiple positions to help better the team and better my game, as well.”
Johnson recently returned from an official visit to Rutgers and is expected to cancel a visit to Florida. He plans to graduate in December and enroll in January.
He is Arkansas’ 15th commitment in the 2023 class.