Utah loses another key piece of its defense to the transfer portal

Utes lost a third starter on defense to the portal

Utah Utes head coach Morgan Scalley lost several assistants and a few impactful players on the defensive side of the ball following his first win at the helm of the program. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Not even a full day into the college football transfer portal cycle being open, Utah has already lost a couple of key pieces of its secondary to the open market.

Shortly after news broke that All-Big 12 defensive back Smith Snowden would peruse his options outside of Salt Lake City, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported standout safety Tao Johnson was following suit and entering his name into the portal as well.

Johnson played an impactful role for the Utes defense in 2025, appearing in all 13 games and racking up 48 total tackles and six passes defended (two interceptions, four pass break-ups). The Idaho native made one of the biggest individual plays of the season when he intercepted Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson on a 2-point conversion attempt and returned it all the way to the other end zone, helping spark the Utes to a 51-47 comeback victory over the Wildcats in a must-win game for their Big 12 title hopes.

Johnson appeared in 43 career games over four seasons, including 23 starts at safety and 12 at nickel back. He originally arrived to campus as a four-star wide athlete out of Thunder Ridge High School (Idaho) before making a transition from wide receiver to defensive back as a sophomore in 2023, primarily at nickel back.

Johnson made a slight adjustment again heading into the 2024 campaign, going from the nickel to safety while also spending some time on special teams. He recorded 70 total tackles, finishing second on the team, and had four pass break-ups and one interception across 12 appearances.

In 2025, Johnson played an impactful role on for a Utah defense that allowed the second fewest passing yards per game (177.8) and the lowest completion percentage (49.5%) to opposing quarterbacks among Big 12 teams. Snowden was a big factor as well, along with All-American pass rusher John Henry Daley.

Daley announced his intentions of entering the portal on Dec. 30 — just a day prior to Utah's 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl.

With Johnson, Snowden and Daley in the portal, three of Utah's most important starters on defense had decided to test their respective value on the open market not even halfway through the first day of the portal being open. Their likely departures continued the mass exodus of players and coaches leaving Salt Lake City following Scalley's first win as the Utes' head coach.

Kyle Whittingham's takeover in Michigan makes it reasonable to suspect the Wolverines could get involved in Johnson's recruitment before long. Several Utah assistant coaches have already made their way to Ann Arbor, including offensive coordinator Jason Beck; tight ends coach Freddie Whittingham; quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer Jr.; wide receivers coach Micah Simon; offensive line coach Jim Harding and defensive ends coach Lewis Powell.

Washington State was also heavily involved in Johnson's recruitment process coming out of high school, even hosting him on a visit in September 2021. Jake Dickert was the Cougars' defensive coordinator at the time before eventually becoming the Wake Forest head coach in 2025. As such, the Demon Deacons could enter the mix for Johnson's services as well.

Johnson, who was a redshirt junior in 2025, will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Utah standout safety Tao Johnson is entering the transfer portal, a source tells @CBSSports.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has made 34 career starts and finished this season with 51 tackles and two interceptions. pic.twitter.com/pGqCkhspRM

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 2, 2026