At times during his first few seasons at Arizona, Isaiah Johnson had a special visitor at practices in the form of longtime NFL coach Bill Belichick. Now he’ll be playing for the legend but in college.
The ex-UA defensive lineman has committed to play at North Carolina, where Belichick is heading into his first season as a college football head coach after more than 300 wins at the professional level. Johnson will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Arizona defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson has committed to North Carolina, his agency @QCSports tells @SWiltfong_. https://t.co/7oJRryprOm pic.twitter.com/M8MAWeDz3K
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 27, 2025
The 6-foot-1, 322-pound Johnson appeared in 12 games over three seasons for Arizona, starting the Big 12 opener at Utah last season. In 2024 he had nine tackles, 2.5 for loss, with two sacks as part of the D-line rotation.
Johnson, a 3-star prospect from Chandler in the 2022 recruiting class, was one of a handful of defensive players who entered the NCAA transfer portal after spring ball ended. Arizona signed 10 defensive linemen this offseason, including four from the portal and three from the junior college ranks, and is set to have 17 on the roster for this fall.