Skip to main content

2022 athlete Tao Johnson commits to Utah after weekend visit

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope11/08/21

bykeeganpope

Kyle Whittingham
(Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Idaho Fall (Id.) Thunder Ridge athlete Tao Johnson visited Utah this weekend, and Monday morning, he committed to the Utes.

The 2022 prospect held offers from Washington State, Virginia, Idaho State, Weber State, and Eastern Washington, among others.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder plays an interesting combination of positions for his high school team: quarterback and defensive end. But he likely projects as a wide receiver at the college level. That’s in large part to his elite-level speed. Johnson was clocked running 10.62 100-meter dash last spring, and he won the Idaho 5A state championship in that event with a time of 10.82. He also finished third at the state meet in the long jump with a leap 22 feet, 2 inches, after long jumping for the first time earlier that spring.

Johnson visited Washington State in September, and then took an unofficial visit to Utah the next weekend when the Utes hosted the Cougars in Salt Lake City. A late offer from Virginia came late last week, but his return visit to Utah this weekend sealed the deal.

Tao Johnson is commit No. 7 for Utah in 2022

Tao Johnson is the seventh commit in Utah’s 2022 recruiting class. He joins Clovis (Calif.) four-star quarterback Nate Johnson, Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson three-star running back Jaylon Glover, Murrieta (Calif.) Murrieta Valley three-star quarterback Brandon Rose, Richmond (Texas) George Ranch three-star safety Jeffrey Ugo, Mililani (Hawaii) three-star offensive tackle Tavo Motuapuaka and Apopka (Fla.) Wekiva wide receiver Chris Reed.

The Utes recently lost three-star wide receiver Adarrius Harshaw, who backed off his pledge last week. With just seven players committed, Utah could again hit the transfer portal this offseason. Eight transfers — all from Power Five schools — signed with the Utes in the 2021 class.

With Johnson’s commitment, Utah now has the No. 10 class in the Pac-12 and the No. 61 class nationally, according to the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.