Notre Dame Is The "Dream School" For Elite In-State Athlete Brauntae Johnson
Notre Dame has historically had a fence around the state of Indiana. There has been an occasional misevaluation but simply put, the program needs to land every player that they want in the state. In the 2024 class, there is an in-state talent who ranks as one of the top players in the 2024 recruiting class.
Following his performance at this weekend’s Irish Invasion, the Irish staff extended an offer to Fort Wayne (Ind.) North Side athlete Brauntae Johnson. That offer from Notre Dame held a lot of weight for the Indiana standout.
“Getting the offer, for me, was a very good feeling,” Johnson said. “They have always been my dream school and are right in my home state.”
Early on, recruiting can be an eye-opening experience. For Johnson, he has been taking everything in stride. He is learning a lot, very quickly.
“Recruiting has been good really,” Johnson explained. “Right now, I am just getting my feet wet with it. I’m just learning as much as I can.”
Heading into the Irish Invasion, Johnson hadn’t had a ton of contact with the Notre Dame staff. That looks to change quickly.
“Before the camp (the staff) came to my school a couple of times,” he said. “Other than that, I wasn't in contact as much with them as I will be now moving forward.”
With an evolving offer list, Johnson is begging to garner a ton of national attention. With the obvious love for Notre Dame, they should be considered the early favorites. It will, however, not be without a fight.
“I would say that Notre Dame, Indiana, Wisconsin and Cincinnati are doing the best job right now,” Johnson said. “It’s been great getting to know so many great coaches.”
When you have a nationally ranked recruit in the state, Notre Dame has to close on them if the fit makes sense. They made the first move this past weekend.
Johnson is currently rated as a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the state of Indiana for the 2024 recruiting cycle. 247Sports has the talented two-way athlete ranked as a five-star recruit and the No. 30 overall player and No. 4 wideout in the country in the 2024 class. Although every major recruiting platform ranks him as a wide receiver, the Notre Dame staff prefers him on the defensive side of the football.
The 6-3, 170-pound athlete has an expanding offer list of prospective schools. Aside from the recent offer from the Irish, Johnson also boasts offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Iowa State, Indiana, and Kansas among others.
In seven games as a sophomore, Johnson led the team with 29 receptions and three touchdowns, while finishing second in receiving yards with 297 yards. He is also a talented return man for North Side, averaging 33.1 yards per kick return. Johnson also recorded 29 total tackles and forced four fumbles on the defensive side of the football.
Johnson is also a standout basketball player that averaged 18.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He averaged 17.3 points per game and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman for North Side.
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