Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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44 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY D re Muhammad made himself sound like a broken record. The former Indiana University wide receiver and 12-year performance trainer did not say it once, nor twice, but five times. In his opinion, Notre Dame 2024 class signee Tae Johnson is "the best safety in the country." What makes Muhammad's message so surprising is the 6-foot-1½, 185-pound Johnson hardly played the position at Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side High. He excelled at wide receiver, and that's how the other 20 programs that offered him scholarships scouted him. On3 saw it both ways, giving him the "athlete" designation and recognizing him as the No. 12 athlete in the class and the No. 8 overall prospect in Indiana. It also assigned him three stars. It took time for Muhammad to de- termine Johnson was best suited to play safety in college. In June 2021, about two years after Muhammad began training Johnson as a wide receiver, he realized it after watching Johnson dominate a 7-on-7 tournament. From there, he formed his strongly held opinion. "Tae's range from hash to hash is probably as good as anybody you will see in the country," Muhammad said. "He has length, range and the ability to learn quickly. Outside of him getting faster and stronger, those are the things that will make him the safety he's supposed to be." It took an offseason injury for John- son to rationalize with Muhammad and Notre Dame's evaluation. In the spring of 2023, Johnson injured his foot while training at one of former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall's House of Athlete facilities in Florida. Time away from the game showed him what Muhammad and Notre Dame saw years ago. Johnson could be a really good wide receiver or a great safety. Perhaps along the lines of Kyle Hamilton, whom the Baltimore Ravens selected No. 14 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after three seasons at Notre Dame. "It would have been criminal for me to tell Tae not to play safety," Muham- mad said. "If Tae does what he needs to do, he can be Kyle Hamilton-like. And that's not an exaggeration. … Tae has that potential." Hamilton finished his Irish career as a consensus All-American, a player some considered the best safety in col- lege football. As Muhammad repeated, Johnson's time in South Bend could end similarly. "From a safety standpoint, this dude's got it," he said. "He's the best safety in the country." ✦ Johnson, who earned second-team Class 5A all-state honors as a safety during his sophomore year and was a first-team all-state pick as a junior wide receiver, is a versatile athlete who projects best at safety in college. PHOTO COURTESY ON3.COM TAE JOHNSON ATHLETE 6-1½ ∙ 185 NORTH SIDE H.S. FORT WAYNE, IND. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 12 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 277 17 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 89 8^ 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 209 17^ 5 ^ Ranked as a safety STATISTICS • Primarily played quarterback as a senior, complet- ing 30 of 48 passes for 457 yards with 5 touchdowns. Also had 30 rushing attempts for 312 yards and 6 scores, plus 7 catches for 56 yards and 1 TD, and 7 tackles on defense. • Caught 69 passes for 1,081 yards and 16 touch- downs as a junior. In addition, was a defensive con- tributor with 23 tackles (21 solo) and a field goal block. • Hauled in 29 passes for 297 yards and 3 scores as a sophomore. Also recorded a career-high 27 tackles (24 solo) and 1 interception. • Emerged on the high school scene with 36 catches for 596 yards and 7 touchdowns as a freshman. NOTABLE • Earned Indiana Class 5A all-state honors as an athlete in 2021 and 2022. • Tabbed as a first-team performer at wide receiver in 2022 and was a second-team pick at safety in 2021. • Received a basketball scholarship offer from Pur- due University Fort Wayne. • His brother, Brandon, played NAIA basketball. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on June 24, 2023. • Will enroll at Notre Dame during the summer. • Also held offers from Auburn, Colorado, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. • Recruited by safeties coach Chris O'Leary. • Visited Notre Dame 10 times, including his official visit on June 4, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Best suited for a redshirt season after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, although he should be fully cleared in time for the start of the 2024 season. THEY SAID IT Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lem- ming: "I think he's a four-star plus kid, especially if he plays as a cornerback or safety. Wide receivers are a dime a dozen. He has really good length and speed, and Johnson is a great athlete. He looks awesome in basketball. I was really impressed with Johnson when I saw him. He has great stats on offense. Notre Dame desperately needs help on safety, and he'll be the best one they bring in. "This is a very good get. He might be the best ath- lete in the whole state of Indiana. Johnson is great on both sides of the ball, but there are so many receivers nationally. He can play there, but they need safeties. It's great to get an athlete like this." Tae Johnson Has The Potential For Greatness At Safety