CLASS IMPACT: Breaking Down The Brauntae Johnson Commitment To Notre Dame

Breaking down how the commitment of safety Brauntae Johnson impacts the Notre Dame 2024 class and the Irish depth chart

Notre Dame picked up a very important commitment when Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side safety Brauntae Johnson pledged to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out programs like Penn State, Tennessee, Miami (Fla.) and others to land the talented two-way standout.

Let's break down how the commitment of Johnson to Notre Dame impacts the Fighting Irish 2024 class and the Notre Dame depth chart.

NOTRE DAME CLASS IMPACT

Johnson is the 21st player to commit to Notre Dame in the 2024 class. He's also the 11th defensive player and he joins Arizona athlete Kennedy Urlacher and Ohio defender Taebron Bennie-Powell in the safety class.

None of Notre Dame's 2021 safeties are left on the roster, and Chris O'Leary failed to sign a safety in the 2022 class. Despite landing a pair of quality players in the 2023 class (Adon Shuler, Ben Minich), the safety depth chart is in desperate need of numbers and impact talent. 

Three is the ideal number at safety in the class, and landing Johnson gives Notre Dame that number. Numbers are only part of the need for Notre Dame, who also needs an upgrade in athleticism and talent at safety. The Irish also need at least one safety that can add range and can play the middle of the defense.

Johnson adds all of that to the Irish defense. He possesses top notch length and athleticism, he's a natural playmaker and although he can run the alleys, his game is ideally suited for playing over the top and handling man coverage responsibilities.

Landing Johnson is huge for the Irish defense, and although the safety class wasn't as good as it needed to be, adding an impact talent like Johnson is big time and helps ease some of the concerns at the position.

NOTRE DAME FIT - ANALYSIS

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.

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.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

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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