Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#6
Tao Johnson
Senior defensive back on UCLA's 2026 roster.
6′0″ · 194 lb · Idaho Falls, ID · Thunder Ridge HS / Utah
CFB Index 61 · #171 of 544 safetiesLow confidenceTransferred Utah → UCLA for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
4★
QB recruit
No. 239 nationally · Signed with Utah
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive back on UCLA's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Utah in 2022.
- Transferred from Utah to UCLA in 2026.
Tao Johnson
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Tao Johnson has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. One game to point at: 2 tackles against California — Week 1, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
4 programs, one constant: he played.
2022
- Signed with Utah4-star out of Clovis
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
4 coachesPlayed under 4 different head coaches: Chip Kelly, Deshaun Foster, Tim Skipper, and Bob Chesney. Multi-era developmental context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to UCLA
2025Utah
2026UCLA
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2024Utah5-7HC: Kyle Whittingham · Balanced
2025Utah11-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2026UCLA2-0HC: Bob Chesney · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
61 · #171 of 544 safeties
Career stats
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Hybrid Nickel
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
S
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Myles Slusher’s 2021 season.
87%match
Matches Myles on
PD rate
Weight
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Kalen Carroll's junior season at Central Michigan (2025).
94%match
Matches Kalen on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Player DNA
Players who play like Tao Johnson
Background
Career Summary Transferred to UCLA ahead of the 2026 campaign after spending his first four collegiate seasons at Utah (2022-25) … played 43 games at Utah, starting 23 at safety and 12 at nickel … totaled 154 tackles (84-70-154), six tackles for loss (TFL), three interceptions, 16 pass breakups (...
The secondary · UCLA
- #4Cole Martin65 tackles · 2025
- #6Tao Johnson50 tackles · 2025
- #1Scooter Jackson44 tackles · 2025
- #32DJ Barksdale36 tackles · 2025
- #2Rodrick Pleasant36 tackles · 2025
18 more on the roster · UCLA team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology