One of the top defenders in 3A football has announced his college commitment.
Jacksonville White Oak senior Nicholas Johnson posted on social media Saturday that he will play for Elon University in 2025. Johnson (6-3, 230) is the fifth-known in-state commitment for what is shaping up to be a solid recruiting class for head coach Tony Trisciani’s FCS program.
“After a great talk and discussion with my family, as well as a well thought decision I will be committing to @ElonFootball,” Johnson posted on X. “See you signing day.”
—> READ MORE: Elon keeps building on strong 2025 class
Johnson had a monster junior season at White Oak a year ago. He made 15 tackles-for-loss and had 11 sacks. He recorded 43 solo tackles and 79 total hits. He returned a fumble 20 yards among other highlights. White Oak finished 9-2, falling to J.H Rose in the playoffs.
Johnson, who posted a 3.0 GPA, earned first-team all-conference and all-area. He’s had a busy summer, camping at Elon, Campbell, South Carolina and Old Dominion.
White Oak returned 10 of 11 starters on defense heading into last season. Johnson was the lone non-returnee, coming to the school after spending his freshman and sophomore years at West Carteret.
Johnson had eight tackles for West Carteret against White Oak in 2022, according to a story in (Jacksonville) The Daily News, standing out to White Oak coach Jonathan Byrd.
“Nick was a good player then and he gave us a whole lot of trouble,” Byrd told The Daily News in an October 2023 article. “Nick got here in the summer and then we went to ECU football camp. I got to watch him work against other Division I-type players and hold his own with those guys. So, we knew we had something special in him.
Johnson served as one of White Oak’s captains a year ago.
“Since he has been here, he has never missed a workout and he has demonstrated leadership skills,” Byrd told The Daily News. “Nick is accountable and he takes hard coaching well. He can handle coming to the sidelines and being told that this move is here and this is not here so you need to do this, and he goes out and executes.”
White Oak will open the 2024 season on Friday, Aug. 23 at East Carteret.
Elon Class of 2025 In-State Commitments
| Ben Kirsch | WR | Charlotte | Ardrey Kell HS | Elon |
| Chaz Knox | DT | Charlotte | Mallard Creek HS | Elon |
| Nolan Irwin | OT | Concord | Northwest Cabarrus HS | Elon |
| Jaedon Alford | WR | Rolesville | Rolesville HS | Elon |
| Nicholas Johnson | DE | Jacksonville | White Oak HS | Elon |
