Tae Johnson has always had talent.
Fort Wayne saw it first, Notre Dame saw it next, and now the rest of college football is catching up.
The 6-foot-2, 192-pound safety delivered again on Saturday, recording five tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and gave Notre Dame a commanding 14-0 lead with a 49-yard pick-six just seven minutes into the matchup with No. 22 Pittsburgh.
Johnson had already scored this season on a blocked punt, but his first collegiate interception return meant something more.
“I went over the game plan with Coach (Mike) Mickens and Coach (Chris) Ash, so I kind of was prepared for it,” said Johnson. “I knew it was coming and that led to me to be able to play fast and ultimately get a pick six for my team.”
Notre Dame’s defense continued its climb, holding Pitt to just 219 yards, which was padded by a 79-yard final drive aided by two roughing-the-passer penalties.
Johnson and Adon Shuler led the charge with big plays and helped the Irish hold Pitt to 0-for-13 on third down.
“We're playing well and we just try to get better every week,” explained Shuler. “The goal for us at safety is to run the defense, make sure the back seven is in line and make sure we're all aware of what's going on. We just wanna keep focusing on just being us and we're not really worried about anything else other than that.”
Shuler, who returned a two-point conversion 100 yards to the house, also had a huge hit to end Pitt’s first drive. It was a statement by Notre Dame and Johnson believed it set a strong tone for the rest of the game.
“He's a fire starter,” explained Johnson. “Adon brings the energy to our defense and that's what we needed in that moment. They got a big play, I think the first couple plays before that, and for Adon to do that, it was a fire starter for our defense. It turned all of our energy up, and that's what we needed.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman has watched Johnson grow from a gifted athlete into one of the team’s most confident players.
“He's as confident as anyone, but it's because of the work,” said Freeman. “He knows he's gifted, but he's put in a lot of work. He's making plays for us. He's an extremely talented football player who is just getting better, right? The talent is one thing, but the work he's putting in and the improvements that he makes is very pleasing.”
Johnson agrees.
His natural ability hasn’t gone anywhere, but his development has elevated his game.
“Before I got to Notre Dame, I was always just a gifted player,” stated Johnson. “I wasn't that big. I kind of figured out that I'll always be gifted, I figured out that I had to put in the work and figure out where I was lacking at - fiiguring out that and just honing in on it and taking advantage of it.”
That commitment is paying off as Johnson plays his best football in November — and he has no plans to slow down.
“My confidence definitely went up,” said Johnson. “That's the main thing. My first game, you kind of still had the thoughts like, do I belong? As the games keep continuing, I just try to do better every game, do better than the last.
“I feel like I'm doing that, and it has led to me being way more confident. I feel like my teammates trust me out there. I'm not just a young player anymore. I'm somebody who teammates look up to and who they trust.”
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