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Texas football bolstered its trenches on Friday, landing a commitment from Maryland defensive lineman Lavon Johnson out of the transfer portal.
Johnson had committed to North Carolina and Bill Belicheck earlier Friday before Texas convinced him to choose Austin instead. A member of the Terrapins’ 2023 recruiting class, Johnson recorded 19 total tackles and one sack over his first two seasons.
Johnson’s decision to transfer to Texas came on the same day that Texas pulled former Cal tight end Jack Endries and ex-Texas State kicker Mason Shipley out of the portal. Endries and Shipley both announced their decisions to join the Longhorns on Instagram.
Texas lost plenty of defensive line depth this offseason. Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton have moved on to the NFL while former high school recruits Jaray Bledsoe, Sydir Mitchell and Aaron Bryant all transferred to other schools. In response, the Longhorns added defensive line transfers like Purdue’s Cole Brevard, North Carolina’s Travis Shaw and Ohio State’s Hero Kanu.
It’ll be a difficult task to replace the NFL-caliber players who anchored a Texas run defense that allowed 3.24 yards per carry ― 14th-best in college football. But Texas’ No. 1-ranked 2025 signing class includes multiple defensive linemen who are already on campus. Five-star freshman Justus Terry, four-star Myron Charles and fellow four-star Josiah Sharma were all top-20 recruits at the position, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. The Longhorns will also be relying on rising sophomore Alex January, who saw meaningful action as a freshman.
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