James Johnson already was building a relationship with Odell Haggins. But his visit to Florida State on Saturday was a chance to also spend time with new defensive line coach Terrance Knighton as well as coach Mike Norvell.

"I enjoyed it," Johnson said. "I got to talk to coach Norvell, coach Haggins, coach Knighton. It was fun talking to all of them."

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Johnson is a four-star prospect from North Fort Myers (Fla.) who had 60 tackles and an impressive 29 tackles for loss as a junior in 2024. Johnson wasn't being recruited by Nebraska, so Saturday was his first time sitting down with Knighton. The first impression was a positive one.

"Nice, cool, big coach," Johnson said, laughing. "He understands the D-line position. He played in the NFL. He knows the game real well. Spending time with him today, I got to know him even better as a person."

Johnson said Haggins, the Seminoles' associate head coach, is "still playing a big role in my recruitment" and that he talks to the FSU coaching staff weekly. While he doesn't have a group of schools he considers leaders, Johnson said he has been talking with FSU, Miami, Florida, Texas and Georgia.

He will also attend a junior day at Florida on Jan. 25 and Georgia on Feb. 1.

"I’m feeling good," Johnson said. "Being here is definitely going to help me narrow down my schools. I’ll be able to narrow down my list."

Johnson also had a conversation with Norvell, who made it clear the defensive lineman was a priority for the coaches.

"He said he wasn’t going to recruit me — he was going to pursue me," Johnson said. "It was different than all of the other coaches. That’s what I liked about him."

Four-star DE Trenton Henderson discusses FSU, early leaders

Four-star DE Zavion Griffin-Henderson recaps first visit to FSU

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