Four-Star ATH Brauntae Johnson commits to Notre Dame

Four-star athlete Brauntae Johnson of Fort Wayne (IN) North Side High announced his commitment to Notre Dame Saturday morning.

The 6-foot-3, 180 pounder chose the Fighting Irish over Purdue and Tennessee. 

Johnson on why he chose Notre Dame

“I’ll say just the prestige of the school, the relationships I can build, and being able to play really close to home on a national level. What the school can do for me with football and for life and the coaching staff and the people I will be around everyday definitely stands out.”

Relationship with coaching staff + their plan for Johnson

“I’m very close with the coaches, and the relationships will only grow as it goes,” Johnson said. “I’m closest with safeties coach Chris O’Leary and they plan on letting me roam at free safety and ball hawk and come up and tackle.”

The Indiana athlete joins coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish’ top 10 class in the 2024 team rankings. He is accompanied by four-star quarterback CJ Carr, four-star wide receiver Cam Williams, and others. 

Johnson ranks as the No. 164 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 5 athlete and the No. 3 player in the state of Indiana.

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $83K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Personal Life (via On3)

“Tae Johnson is one of the top two-sport stars in Indiana, and he says he’s trying to change the perception of what it’s like to be a star in Indiana. Along with his accomplishments in football, Johnson averages a double-double in basketball for Fort Wayne (Indiana) North Side. As a junior in football, Johnson recorded 69 catches for 1,081 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 108.1 yards a game, and he also made plays on defense with 23 tackles and a 16.7 kickoff return average. “I’m trying to change the culture,” Johnson said at the Northwest Indiana preseason media day event. “I just want to have a better legacy for the players coming up after me. I want to leave a good legacy for them by showing what it takes to win at the highest levels.” Johnson’s coach, Ben Johnson, said his star player is doing a great job of laying that foundation. “He can’t be covered,” Johnson’s coach said. “He’s got some athletic talents that few guys have. But most importantly he comes in and works hard every day. He’s a great leader that leads by example.”