How Tae Johnson Positioned Himself to be Notre Dame's Next Star Safety

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has consistently emphasized the importance of process during his tenure at the helm of the program. 

There are countless processes taking place inside The Gug, but the one Freeman stresses most is that every player is on his own journey.

Redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson took Freeman’s message to heart and now he’s worked his way into the starting lineup. 

“I’ve just been grateful for the process,” stated Johnson. “From not starting to being a rotational player to being able to earn a starting job after the second game, it’s just taught me a lot in the process. That’s probably the most I can say about it. I’m just grateful for the process because I’m still learning, as I’m a starter. I’m still growing as a player. So I’m just grateful for the process.” 

In the spring, the Fort Wayne native flashed his ability to make plays in space, at the line of scrimmage and in coverage. That continued in fall camp with two freakish interceptions, but like most young players, Johnson had to adjust when the ball was dropped on Saturday. 

There were flashes in Notre Dame’s first three games, but over the weekend, Johnson turned in his best game of the year by making multiple plays against Arkansas. 

The game is starting to slow down and it’s led to Johnson being able to play faster. 

“That was definitely something I had to get used to,” Johnson said of game speed. “Just the speed of the game. Not necessarily the speed, but just the amount of snaps I was playing. I had to get used to just being an every-down player. The speed has definitely slowed down for me in a lot of ways. Just knowing what’s going on helps me a lot, too. That helps slow the game down. But just naturally, the game has slowed down for sure.” 

Another reason why the game might be slowing down is that Notre Dame has simplified coverages on the back end. 

With so many young players, Notre Dame might have been asking them to do too much and it led to players thinking more than playing. 

Johnson appreciated the change and the results are hard to argue against. 

“It really just meant, do what I do best,” explained Johnson. “Cover and attack the ball. I feel like that’s my strong suit. I feel like that’s what I’m supposed to bring to the team. I feel like that’s my job, to get the ball to the offense, to attack the ball, to be the guy in the back end who can read the quarterback and make plays on the ball. That’s what I’m gonna continue to do. I’m gonna keep growing in that manner.” 

Last fall, Johnson started off at cornerback, but a broken fifth metatarsal sidelined him for much of the year. 

The 6-foot-2, 192-pounder knew he was destined for safety, so he took advantage of having the nation’s top player at the position in the same secondary. 

“He was only here for about seven months with me and he’s in the NFL now,” Johnson said of former All-American Xavier Watts. “I looked up to him for sure. That was a great role model for me. He let me know a lot of things. Even now, with Adon Shuler and Jalen Stroman.

“Now that I’m starting, the roles don't change. Those guys are still helping me out. I’m starting alongside Adon and he’s still helping me out. Jalen, he’s still helping me out. I got a lot of veteran guys to learn from, so that’s a benefit for me.”

It’d be easy for Johnson to just watch Watts and learn, but he didn’t stop there. Watts prided himself on his preparation in the film room and taught Johnson how to watch film. 

“The biggest thing X taught me is how to really just watch film and hone in on that, just so you can play faster on the field,” stated Johnson. It all comes easier on the field if you know what’s gonna happen schematically. You can read splits. You can read the quarterback.” 

Before he was a safety, Johnson was a four-star receiver. Notre Dame saw something different and convinced him to switch sides of the ball, a move that required some blind faith.

That faith came from his relationship with Marcus Freeman.

“He’s meant a lot to me,” explained Johnson. “Kind of look at him as a second father figure, especially just being where I’m from and under my circumstances, to come to Notre Dame. It’s kind of hard. It’s not typical for a guy like me to be at Notre Dame.

“Having Coach Freeman in my corner and having him help me understand the bigger picture to it all, understand why I’m here, understand how I can help myself, it’s just been a joy to be coached by him. That’s a great role model for me. I’ll run through fire for Coach Freeman. I know he believes in me, so I just want to keep getting better, keep building that trust, keep giving him the ability to trust me to go out there and make plays.” 

Now, it’s Freeman’s job to sell recruits on Notre Dame and sometimes kids need a push from an outside source. 

Former Notre Dame star Jaylon Smith and Johnson have had a relationship for years as they train at Traction Athletic Performance in Fort Wayne under the guidance of Dre Muhammad. 

Smith didn’t necessarily have to push Johnson to South Bend, but he reminded him that the blueprint was already there. 

“He’s had a huge impact,” said Johnson. “That's why I wear No. 9 because of him. Also, just a big reason why I came here. He's had a great impact just for me to be from Fort Wayne and him to be from Fort Wayne and coming to Notre Dame and elevating our lives.

“We're both from the same side of town in Fort Wayne, the south side of town. Just two South Side kids coming to Notre Dame and taking full advantage of it. I feel like that impact was going to help me change the trajectory of my family.”

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