Tao Johnson’s unique path to free safety has prepared him for the moment

Utah Utes cornerback Tao Johnson (15) warms up for the Utah-UCLA college football game in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023.

In his first season since switching from offense to defense, Tao Johnson showcased his versatility.

Johnson started 12 games at nickelback for Utah in 2023, playing in all 13 of the Utes’ contests, and spent the majority of his time at that position.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley and cornerbacks coach Sharrieff Shah saw potential in Johnson playing the safety position — free safety specifically.

Back in September, Whittingham said free safety was Johnson’s natural position. With two potential NFL draft picks at safety in Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki, however, a more permanent move to the position was going to have to wait until 2024.

In the meantime, Johnson had a good season at nickel in 2023 — especially for it being his first since moving to that side of the ball — totaling 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and five pass deflections — the second-highest on Utah’s defense.

“Just a lot of work,” Johnson said about switching to defense. “Working with Coach Scalley, Coach (graduate assistant coach Jordan) Fogal, Coach Shah. Putting a lot of extra work, learning how to play football from the other side of the football.”

While Johnson’s primary responsibility in 2023 was that nickel position, there were times when Utah used him extensively at free safety — 66 snaps against UCLA and 38 in the Las Vegas Bowl vs. Northwestern. In total, Johnson played 143 of his 598 snaps in 2023 at free safety.

Free safety is a demanding position, and it requires not just the physical skillset — Johnson has that handled at 6-foot-1, 196 pounds — but also the mental side.

“Safeties and linebackers, hands down, are the smartest…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tao-johnson-unique-path-free-000006019.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-03-16 00:00:06

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