Notre Dame DB Tae Johnson Grateful for Relationship with Trainer Dre Muhammad
Individual or position-specific trainers have become more and more popular each year for high school, college and professional football players.
Out of 10 trainers, it’s safe to say you’ll find most in it for the money and perks of training high-profile recruits or players. Then you’ll find a group that has no idea what they are doing and every drill is pulled off YouTube or Social Media.
It’s a flooded market, so finding a genuine trainer is hard. Notre Dame freshman defensive back Brauntae Johnson has a real trainer in Dre Muhammad, who has been in the game long before it became a trendy gig. Aka. You won’t find him doing photoshoots with recruits or turning the moment into one for himself.
Muhammad has become a staple in the Fort Wayne community. At this point, the Indiana alum has sent hundreds of kids to play college football at all levels through his training facility, Traction Athletic Performance.
Notre Dame fans will know the names Tyler Eifert, Ben Skowronek, Jaylon Smith and Drue Tranquill. All worked out at Traction as high schoolers.
Muhammad and his staff had been training a quarterback, Duce Taylor, who signed up with Morgan State out of high school. Johnson was just a middle schooler when Muhammad first became aware of him and the two quickly developed a strong relationship.
“I first started training with Dre in my eighth-grade year,” He knew Duce Taylor at Northside and that’s how it started. Ever since then, we just clicked and I have trained with him ever since.”
The country knows Muhammad for his receiver development and his brutal honesty with his players separates him from other position trainers across the country. Muhammad isn’t afraid to tell his pupils to change positions if it will get them an opportunity to go to college.
In Johnson’s case, Muhammad developed him into a four-star receiver prospect, but Notre Dame saw a high-level safety.
It wasn’t easy for Johnson to give up on his receiver dreams, especially since the Irish were essentially the only program to view him as a safety. Muhammad signed off and that was enough for Johnson to trust a new path.
“Ultimately, he wants to see us do our very best,” Johnson explained. “He’s a very genuine person. It’s all about having someone who is genuine and who will tell you the truth regardless of what you want to hear.”
Why do so many kids in the Fort Wayne area trust Muhammad?
For one, Muhammad played receiver at Indiana and made it to the NFL. But it really comes down to Muhammad having the best interest in mind for his kids.
He has trained more than a few Brauntae Johnsons in his career who are going to college football’s blue bloods. What sells Muhammad over his peers is the kids he develops to go to Division II or NAIA schools on scholarship.
“He’s been at the level we’re all trying to go to,” Johnson stated. “He has a lot of valuable resources that can help us reach our full potential. Dre is more than a trainer. We can talk to him about anything. He gives us advice for everything.”
When it comes to Johnson’s first year at Notre Dame, it was a mixed bag. Johnson had surgery on his foot at the end of fall camp and wasn’t able to make his debut until the Florida State game in November.
“I've been as healthy as I’ve ever been,” said Johnson. “When I first came back, I had to get my legs under me and get comfortable with my foot. As of now, I feel the healthiest as I’ve been the whole season.”
This spring will be significant for Johnson as he’ll have a chance to make some noise on Notre Dame’s depth chart with the departure of Xavier Watts at safety, but he’s also played some cornerback, so there’s an opportunity to find a role.
“I don't look at it as a challenge,” Johnson said of playing cornerback, nickel and safety. “I look at it as being able to be versatile in my skill set and learning multiple positions. I want to be reliable wherever the defense needs me.”
In high school, Johnson played quarterback, running back, receiver, cornerback and safety. He believes that has helped him make the transition to college as he sees the game from multiple views and has experience playing all over the defensive backfield.
“It definitely helped,” explained Johnson. “It shows my versatility. Playing multiple positions in high school showed what type of player I am and how I can help the team. It all helped me when I got to college.”
And if Johnson lives up to expectations, you can bet the first person he will thank will be his Muhammad.
“I give Dre credit for a lot of my success,” said Johnson. “He was the one who trained me and who really got me through the whole process. It was the best spot I could be in to help myself have a long future playing in college and hopefully one day in the NFL.”
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