Florida State football coaches got some bad news earlier this week when Gregory Batson Jr. refused to shut down his recruitment after his official visit last weekend and ultimately decommitted from the 2027 class. The news wasn’t entirely unexpected, and the coaching staff was already prepared to make a move on another target who took an official visit last weekend.
Three-star Olrick Johnson received his Florida State offer in March and came back on campus this spring. The Peach State native has nearly 30 offers and said Florida State felt like home after taking the official visit, felt like a priority for the staff, and decided to commit on Thursday night:
UPDATE: BOOM! Class of 2027 three-star linebacker Olrick Johnson III from Kennesaw, Georgia, has committed to Florida State. 🍢 #GoNoles #Tribe27 pic.twitter.com/xs9UcdwPjk
— Norvell Central (@CentralNorvell) June 12, 2026
Johnson is an underrated player who's a good take for Florida State
Florida State beat out several ACC schools like Virginia Tech, California, Georgia Tech, and NC State. Johnson took official visits to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech and had a visit set for NC State before committing to the Seminoles.
He ranks as the No. 1,150 player and No. 102 linebacker nationally. He is listed at 6’1” and 215 pounds. This is a classic case of a player outperforming their ranking. He had some incredible stats in his junior season, tallying 118 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, and 12.5 sacks. He also had a forced fumble, and he plays with great physicality.
Here’s the thing with high school rankings. Johnson and Gregory Batson are nearly the same size, but their rankings are light-years apart. However, there isn’t much difference between these two players.
Johnson plays with good instincts and seems to have a nose for the ball. He’s someone who can trigger well downhill and likely make impact plays behind the line of scrimmage. He likely came at a more affordable price tag than Batson as well. This continues the trend of Florida State looking for solid returns on their investments without breaking the bank.
The addition puts Florida State back at ten commitments, with some talented players coming to campus for official visits this weekend. They have six official visitors and probably have a good shot at landing three or four of them.
I like that Johnson is from Georgia, as players from the Peach State seem to have a bit more development out of high school than players from other states (that's likely because they pay their high school coaches extremely well). We'll see if Florida State can parlay Johnson's commitment into more momentum over the weekend. It's not a shiny toy with a high-ranking, but I think they are getting a football player here.
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