Johnson delivers lockdown coverage, elite tackling, and a game-changing touchdown, solidifying his freshman All-America status. The future is bright.
Notre Dame redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson has been named to the Football Writers Association of American Freshman All-America team as a first team selection. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native had one heck of a start to his career in South Bend and is just getting started. Johnson had an extremely productive first year in the starting lineup and will be one of the more impactful players on Notre Dame's loaded 2026 defense.
The 6-2, 193-pound safety played in 10 games this season but missed the final two regular season games with an injury. He was expected to be back in the playoffs, but we obviously know how that story ended up. He played only nine snaps against Miami on the road, but his opportunities came against Texas A&M in the home-opener just two weeks later. Johnson recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown and returned it to the house to open up the scoring for the Fighting Irish. He stepped into the starting lineup the following week against Purdue and never looked back.
Johnson played a total of 573 snaps this season, 198 snaps in run defense and 374 pass rushing snaps. He finished this season with an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 82.8 which was the fourth highest on the roster behind fellow safety Ethan Long who played in two games, star cornerback Leonard Moore and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
The Indiana native was elite in coverage this season only allowing 13 receptions for 155 yards. Johnson didn't allow a single touchdown in the 10 games he played in, racked up four interceptions and three pass breakups according to Pro Football Focus. His abilities in coverage didn't come as a surprise. Head coach Marcus Freeman has stated, on multiple occasions, that Johnson has the ability to play multiple positions and could even play wide receiver if the team needed him to. He's one of the most athletic players on the roster.
But one thing that did come as a surprise was his abilities as a tackler. Johnson finished the season with 51 total tackles which ranked fourth on the team by seasons end and 38 of those tacklers were solo tackles. In the 10 games he played in, he only missed two tackles all season which ranked the lowest amongst players in the secondary with 200 or more snaps. Johnson also recorded seven defensive stops and showcased his strength and power as a tackler throughout the season.
The emergence of the redshirt freshman played a major role in the secondary performance taking a complete 180 degree turn as the regular season unfolded. Johnson is expected to be right back in the starting lineup this offseason and will continue making key plays in the secondary. The future is bright for the 6-2, 193-pound safety and his career in the blue and gold is just getting started.
-------
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!