Notre Dame Commit Profile: Safety Brauntae Johnson
Notre Dame picked up a very important commitment from Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side athlete Brauntae Johnson. The Irish needed an impact safety in the 2024 class and Johnson gives them that kind of prospect.
Let's take at the latest Notre Dame commit.
BRAUNTAE JOHNSON PROFILE
Hometown/High School: Fort Wayne, Ind./North Side
Height/Weight: 6-3, 170
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0
2022 Stats: 69 catches, 1081 yards, 16 TD - 23 tackles
Recruited By: Chris O'Leary
Offers: Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Penn State, Wisconsin, Auburn, Iowa, Washington, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Missouri, Louisville, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado
RECRUITING RANKINGS
Rivals: 4-star - No. 60 overall - No. 6 athlete
247Sports: 4-star - No. 163 overall - No. 12athlete
ESPN: 4-star - No. 278 overall - No. 28 athlete
On3: 4-star - No. 298 overall - No. 8 athlete
On3 Consensus: 4-star - No. 169 overall - No. 6 athlete
247Sports Composite: 4-star - No. 176 overall - No. 13 athlete
FILM ANALYSIS
At 6-3 and 170 pounds, Johnson has the kind of long, rangy frame teams covet on the back end of the defense. He's on the light side now, but Johnson has a frame that should allow him to get to at least 195-200 pounds. He's already a tough, strong player for his size, and when he stops playing basketball and gets into a college strength program he'll shoot up pretty quickly. His power profile will also improve at that time. Johnson is a willing tackler already, and as he gets stronger he'll be able to handle all the physical rigors of playing safety.
From an athleticism standpoint, Johnson has everything you want in a big time safety. He is a long strider that covers a lot of ground, and his range and speed allows him to play side-to-side as a center fielder. He can also fly into the alleys and wreak a lot of havoc. Johnson is a smooth athlete with impressive agility and balance, traits you'd expect from a basketball player that scores more than 20 points per game. He's an explosive leaper, and as he fills out and gets into the Irish strength program I think his speed takes an even bigger jump.
Where Johnson needs the most work is from a technical standpoint. On defense he gets by on just being the most athletic player on the field. He has the physical tools to be outstanding on the back end. His speed, smooth athleticism and foot quickness should allow him to eventually be a standout in coverage, but his technique is quite raw, and he needs to improve his footwork, overall efficiency and he needs to learn to take better angles to the football.
The tools are all there, and that's why Johnson has a 5.0-star upside. Once the strength and technique match the physical tools and work ethic he'll have a chance to be a difference maker.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Johnson is an outstanding two-way player for North Side, and he's a more productive wide receiver than he is a safety. He could easily play wideout at the next level, but safety is where his game is ideally suited from an upside and potential standpoint. Johnson has the kind of range and coverage potential that Notre Dame has largely lacked with its safety signees since signing Kyle Hamilton back in 2019.
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Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
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