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Newsstand: ESPN names 'under-the-radar' Notre Dame football player for 2026 season

IMG_7504by: Jack Soble05/01/26jacksoble56

ESPN named an “under-the-radar” player from each of its updated way-too-early top-25 teams this week. Notre Dame’s was redshirt sophomore safety Brauntae Johnson.

Johnson, who went by “Tae” until this spring, will not remain under the radar much longer if he has the season the Irish expect him to have.

“It’s time to learn his full name — you’ll be hearing it quite often,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich wrote.

Johnson appeared on ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid’s way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft Thursday morning at No. 27 overall. He has first-round talent, despite not receiving the same notoriety as some of his peers.

“Johnson had a strong season as a redshirt freshman, but it happened quietly, as he was in the secondary with cornerback Leonard Moore, who drew the national spotlight,” Dinich wrote. “Johnson won’t be a secret anymore. He has the potential to be one of the best safeties in the country this fall.”

Johnson made 48 tackles (35 solo) as a redshirt freshman, while Pro Football Focus only credited him with 2 missed tackles. He also picked off 4 passes, returning one for a touchdown against Pittsburgh and taking a blocked punt back for 6 points against Texas A&M.

“He makes game-changing plays and has the ability to disrupt passing lanes,” Dinich wrote.

Notre Dame Tweets of the day

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Twelve guaranteed opportunities.

The Irish rearranged their athletic department on Thursday.

Quote of the day

“At times it could be a double-edged sword. One is that everybody has knowledge and everybody has wisdom, but what can we package that our players and our young people can understand? And I say that, because in order to do that, the relationship between the coordinators and the position coaches have to be one of synergy. Like, they have to understand each other and know when to give ideas and when to just listen to the call or listen to the philosophy. ‘This is what we’re doing. Go teach it.’”

— Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on reshaping the defensive coaching staff around second-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash

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