Four-star safety Tae Johnson stays in state, signs with Notre Dame football

For the first time in a decade, Notre Dame has added a product from Fort Wayne, Ind., to its football roster. On Wednesday, the Fighting Irish announced the signing of North Side High four-star safety Tae Johnson. 

The 6-foot-1½, 185-pound Johnson is the state’s No. 4 prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He initially picked the Irish on June 24 over 17 Power Five scholarship offers, including Purdue and Tennessee. 

Johnson follows the likes of former Irish signees linebackers Drue Tranquill (2014) and Jaylon Smith (2013) and tight end Tyler Eifert (2012) by choosing to play their college football less than 100 miles away in South Bend. Smith particularly played a pivotal role in Johnson putting pen to paper with the Irish.

Also the No. 172 overall player and No. 7 “athlete” nationally per the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — Johnson chose to pursue the safety position at Notre Dame. Every other FBS program that offered him a scholarship scouted him as a wide receiver prospect.

The Irish offered Johnson after he participated in the program’s Irish Invasion camp on June 5, 2022. He went on to unofficially campus three times over the next five months and attended the team’s high school junior day on Jan. 14. However, Johnson put the Irish on the back burner as he mulled playing wide receiver. 

Eventually, in late spring, Johnson reconnected with the Notre Dame coaching staff and revealed his intention to play safety. That put a verbal commitment in motion. 

“I reached out to them because I hadn’t talked to them in so long,” Johnson said. “They’ve texted me, and I haven’t texted them back. So I reached out to Coach (Chris) O’Leary, the safeties coach, and told him I’m considering playing safety. After that, they really went to work from there. I scheduled my official the next week after that. I hit them and let them know I’m open to playing safety. And then they did everything else.”

Johnson announced his pledge 18 days after his official visit concluded.

“It really took a relief off me, honestly,” he said. “The long process of it. It was a relief to know that I’ll be going to Notre Dame for the next four years. Everybody who has went there from Fort Wayne has had great success on and off the field. I’m pretty happy just to know I will be a part of that. I’m excited for what my future holds and how I can change the trajectory of my family.”

Notre Dame’s Tae Johnson a four-year varsity contributor for North Side

Johnson had high prospects after locking in a commitment before his senior season. However, a foot injury sidelined him for the first two games. He returned in Week 3 to catch 7 passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. 

Midway through North Side’s 2023 season, Johnson took over as the team’s starting quarterback. In four games, he completed 30-48 passes for 457 yards (62.5%) and 5 touchdowns. He was also effective as a runner, carrying the ball 30 times for 312 yards and six scores. 

Johnson’s senior season ended with a shoulder injury on Oct. 6. It held him out for the final two games and erased his chances at postseason recognition. Still, he was named All-Northeast Indiana preseason first team. Johnson only charted two games on defense in 2023 and finished with 7 tackles. 

As a junior, Johnson verified his status as a national recruit with a 1,000-yard campaign that featured 69 catches in 10 games. He finished the year with 16 touchdowns and 1,081 yards. He still contributed on defense by collecting 23 tackles (21 solo) and a blocked field goal. 

The Indiana Football Coaches Association named him to their top 50 all-state team. With that came a spot on the Class 5A all-junior team.  He was also first-team Summit Athletic Conference and first-team  All-Northeast Indiana Team as a wide receiver. Johnson received Northeast Indiana GameNight Team recognition as well. 

Before starting his sophomore campaign, Johnson received his first scholarship from Purdue on June 7, 2021. And North Side began using him full-time on offense and defense.

In 2021, he hauled in 29 passes for 297 yards and 3 scores in seven outings. On defense, he achieved a career-high 27 tackles (including 24 solo stops) and his only high school interception. He was also unstoppable in the rest of the turnover department by causing and recovering four fumbles. 

Johnson made the Indiana Class 5A junior All-State team as a sophomore classified positionally as an athlete. He also picked up a second-team spot on the All-Northeast Indiana Team and earned All-Conference accolades as a safety. 

He immediately impacted the North Side Legends football team as a freshman in 2020. Johnson notably caught 36 passes for 596 yards and registered a career-high 16.6 yards per reception while scoring 7 touchdowns in 11 games. Northeast Indiana GameNight named him Newcomer of the Year for his breakout season. 

Johnson is also an outstanding basketball player who excelled on the AAU circuit and received interest from schools in the NCAA Division I Horizon League Conference. His shoulder injury will keep him off the hardwood this winter. 

Notre Dame expects to officially welcome Johnson to campus in June.