‘High football IQ’: Tao Johnson has made the switch from offense to defense seamlessly
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Tao Johnson’s first start at nickelback went off with a bang.
On Florida’s second play of the game, Johnson made a big hit to keep Ricky Pearsall from getting a first down.
“He was doing a good job there. But as you watch people move and just how they operate, you just kind of have a gut feeling that hey, this guy probably will have a higher ceiling at a different spot. And that’s exactly was my thought with Tao.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
“Man, that was really everything for me. Just coming out and setting the tone and just letting everybody know I could play and do everything just as well as anybody else, if not better,” Johnson said.
The nickelback position was as big of a question mark as Utah had on defense entering fall camp, with true freshman Smith Snowden and redshirt freshmen Johnson and Elijah Davis competing for the starting spot.
Johnson appeared in four games at wide receiver and special teams in 2022, but hadn’t played on the defensive side of the ball yet in college. But as they do so well, Utah’s coaches identified his talent, and Johnson made the switch.
A four-star athlete, Johnson played quarterback, wide receiver and appeared in the secondary at times for Thunder Ridge High in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Utah recruited him as a wide receiver and used him there during his freshman season.
“He was doing a good job there. But as you watch people move and just how they operate, you just kind of have a gut feeling that hey, this guy probably will have a higher ceiling at a different spot. And that’s exactly was my thought with Tao,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
That experience on offense helped Johnson as he settled in at nickelback.
“From being a quarterback to receiver to a cornerback, that’s all helped me. That’s all helped me gain the extra knowledge of just knowing splits, knowing what offenses are trying to do to us, and just being a step ahead,” Johnson said.
The redshirt freshman has started all five of Utah’s games at nickelback, totaling 12 tackles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. In the win against UCLA, he had a fumble recovery and four tackles.
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“High football IQ, just being a quarterback. I know obviously it’s a hard transition from offense to defense, but he’s a high football IQ guy. He’s physical, he’s fast,” Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley said. “... He definitely has some things he’s got to improve on, as far as coverage and technique, but for the most part he was productive. He’s got plenty to show us moving forward.”
Johnson said that the transition wasn’t easy and took “a lot of work.”
“A lot of extra effort, a lot of early mornings, late nights with coaches taking time out of their day to just help me learn my defense and learn my technique. But Coach Scalley, Coach (Sharrieff) Shah ... all of them, they’ve all been a great help in my development,” Johnson said.
That extra work is already paying off, as Johnson’s versatility is being used. He was trusted to play safety in some coverages against UCLA, allowing safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki to play closer to the box.
“He’s got a great deal of range back there and really can play that center-field position really well,” Whittingham said, noting that Johnson has the fastest 40-yard dash time on the team.
Johnson is a key part of a defense that is ranked No. 15 in the nation in total yardage allowed (282.6 yards allowed per game) and the best in the country at getting off the field on third down, holding opponents to a 21.2% third-down conversion rate.
“Personally and I think also as a defense, it comes down to technique. We have a lot of great athletes, we can play with anybody, we can run with anybody across the nation. It’s going to be our technique and how well we know our defense that sets us apart from all the other defenses,” Johnson said.
In case you missed it
With Oregon State left out in conference realignment, we talked to Beaver fans about an uncertain future. Here’s what the atmosphere was like at Reser Stadium in Pac-12’s final season.
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Extra points
Utah, like BYU, is an underdog for several upcoming games in ESPN’s FPI metrics (Deseret News)
NCAA transfer portal is going to look different going forward due to some rule changes (Deseret News)
Utah safety Jadon Pearson enters transfer portal as graduate transfer (Deseret News)
Up next
Oct. 5-8 | All day | Women’s and men’s tennis | ITA All-American Championships | @ Cary, North Carolina
Oct. 5 | 7 p.m. MDT | Women’s soccer | vs. Cal | @ Salt Lake City
Oct. 6 | 7 p.m. MDT | Volleyball | vs. Oregon State | @ Salt Lake City
Oct. 7 | 10 a.m. MDT | Swim and dive | vs. LSU | @ Salt Lake City
