Notre Dame fall camp may have just started, but a breakout defensive star is already beginning to emerge for the Fighting Irish 

Notre Dame football just opened up their fall camp this week, and as is typically the case, fans are going to overreact to every clip they see, every issue they hear, and try and validate every prior that they previously held. While overreacting is frowned upon, this is an opportunity for the 2025 Fighting Irish squad to begin taking shape. 

A part of this process is the emergence of breakout stars on both sides of the football. Following the first practice, everyone came out impressed with redshirt freshman safety Brauntae Johnson. Going by Tae or Tae Tae, the Indiana native made several splash plays on Thursday, and has analysts salivating over the talent he brings to the table. 

The Notre Dame offense was guilty of throwing four interceptions during the team period of practice on Thursday, and Johnson managed to collect two of them. Both came at the expense of quarterback CJ Carr, one coming from notable range working from depth, and the other robbing a short zone and leaping for a highlight interception. 

At 6-2 and 192 pounds, there were a ton of schools that liked Johnson at wide receiver coming out of Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side. Those ball skills pop off the screen immediately when watching Johnson, along with his combination of length, range, and explosiveness. As his body and technique continue to develop, he has star upside to continue tapping into. 

Johnson is competing against an extremely talented and deep group of safeties this offseason. We all know that Adon Shuler will be locking down one safety spot, but the competition at the other is fierce. Other talented defenders such as Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman, Luke Talich, and JaDon Blair are all competing with Johnson for that position. 

Who knows if Johnson ends up winning that starting position, but regardless, he is going to play a lot in 2025 for the Irish. He has a strong argument as the best pure cover man on the back end, and that playmaking upside in coverage is so valuable. We are just getting a small glimpse into what makes Johnson special. 

Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, it’s hard not to be super excited about what Johnson can become, and the offseason he is putting together. With the recent impact that Kyle Hamilton, Xavier Watts, and Adon Shuler have had, Notre Dame is having an unreal run at the safety position over the last several years. Johnson could be the next star on the back end in the blue and gold.