Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land 2026 4✮ ATH Following Weekend Official Visit

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The Tar Heels didn’t have to wait long to start reaping the benefits of the first weekend of official visits for the 2026 class.

As first reported by Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from 2026 4✮ ATH O’Mari Johnson following his official visit to Chapel Hill which started back on Friday. He chose the Tar Heels over offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tulane amongst others.

Johnson, who split his time between wide receiver and defensive back, is being recruited as a defensive athlete by Armond Hawkins and the rest of the Tar Heel staff despite being ranked by the recruiting services as a wide receiver. He told Inside Carolina’s Don Callahan following the commitment that the position he is being recruited at on the defensive side of the ball is safety and that he will play wherever the staff wants him to.

Johnson did not play on the defensive side of the football this year after he was hurt during the first game of this past season, which caused him to miss the entire season. As a sophomore in 2023, he collected 52 total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, four interceptions and six passes defensed. The year prior, as a freshman, he tallied 29 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two passes defensed and a forced fumble. Back in 2021, as an 8th grader, he had 31 total tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed.

Johnson is a promising young option that has the versatility to play either safety or corner. He has really strong speed, which allows him to break on the football and hands translate over from the offensive side of the football, leading to takeaways. He is a very solid tackler and has the ability to make guys pay over the middle with hard hits. He is willing to be involved in the run game, something that he’ll need to show if he is going to stick at safety or nickel corner. In terms of the outside corner spot, he has fluid hips which allow him to change direction with relative ease and he has the speed to stick with receivers or even comeback to make plays on the ball if he gets beat over the top. There are still some areas that he will need to sure up when he gets to the college level, but there is a lot of raw talent for this defensive back staff to work with. He is definitely a guy that you could see becoming a multi-year contributor for the team at either safety or corner.

With his commitment, the Tar Heels’ 2026 class now has their fourth defensive back commitment and tenth overall. The class also jumps back into the top 25 overall, as they now sit 19th overall and 7th in the ACC in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.