Texas moves Jordon Johnson-Rubell to LB

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Down to seven scholarship inside linebackers following the dismissal of junior Ty’Anthony Smith late last week, the Texas Longhorns have spun down junior safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell to add depth, according to a report from Inside Texas.

A Fort Worth product who finished his career at IMG Academy in Florida, Johnson-Rubell was an Under Armour All-American when he signed with the Longhorns in the 2024 recruiting class, choosing Texas over finalists Michigan, Ohio State, and TCU among 35 total offers. A consensus four-star prospect, Johnson-Rubell was ranked as the No. 206 player nationally and the No. 16 safety in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Considered a developmental prospect despite his strong offer list and relatively lofty rankings, Johnson-Rubell has needed that time since arriving on the Forty Acres. Johnson-Rubell played 78 snaps on defense as a true freshman in addition to 40 snaps on special teams, largely on kickoff return, recording eight total tackles. In 2025, Johnson-Rubell saw his playing time on defense decrease while becoming a core special teams contributor with 236 snaps, adding kickoff coverage, punt return, and punt coverage to his areas of responsibility, totaling nine tackles and two passes broken up.

Jonah Williams and Xavier Filsaime moved into the safety rotation ahead of Johnson-Rubell as coverage issues surfaced — Johnson-Rubell was credited with allowing a 43-yard reception against San Jose State and was targeted frequently in the Citrus Bowl win over Michigan, allowing four catches on five targets for 47 yards.

During the offseason, Johnson-Rubell underwent a noticeable physical change, bulking up from 189 pounds to 212 pounds. Whether that weight gain was in anticipation of playing more as a box safety or as an outright linebacker is irrelevant with this position change.

As an undersized safety, Rubell is now an extremely undersized linebacker at 5’10, although his overall weight was close to Smith, who was listed at 6’1, 214 pounds, and was the smallest ‘backer on the Texas roster.

The physicality, range, and open-field tackling ability that Johnson-Rubell brought to the safety position should ease his transition to linebacker, but due to his glaring lack of size that will have a major impact on his ability to navigate offensive linemen working to the second level, Johnson-Rubell projects as the lowest linebacker on the depth chart, behind sophomore Akron transfer Markus Boswell and all three freshmen linebackers.

Expect Johnson-Rubell to continue making an impact as a core special teams contributor after finishing second on the team in special teams tackles with four and proving more reliable on getting opponents to the ground than cornerback Warren Roberson, who was credited with six missed tackles.

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