Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1517388
34 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W DEFENSIVE BACKS BY TYLER HORKA S ince 1996, Notre Dame has only had five players record 8 or more interceptions. If Xavier Watts gets just one more in 2024, he'll become the sixth. And he'll share the secondary with one of the other five; junior cornerback Ben- jamin Morrison. In many ways, this feels like the Golden Era of Notre Dame defen- sive backs. The Irish have produced some really stout ones over the years, from Harrison Smith to Julian Love and Kyle Hamilton. But what the program simultaneously has in Morrison and Watts can't be taken for granted. A lot of teams have a standout corner or safety. Notre Dame has both at the same time. That's special. Departed graduate student and team captain Cam Hart can't be forgotten in all of this. He played an integral role in help- ing Notre Dame finish the 2023 season with the third-fewest passing yards allowed in the country. Only Ohio State and Michigan were better in that category. Sophomore Christian Gray looks like he's the next Irish corner to take the torch, though, and you'd be unwise to leave junior Jaden Mickey out of the conversation. What Notre Dame currently has in outside corners goes up against anybody else's roster nationwide. It's safety depth that could be a concern. Notre Dame has Watts, yes, but DJ Brown ran out of eli- gibility. The Irish will likely replace him with Northwestern transfer Rod Heard II, who almost exclusively played nickel corner for the Wildcats last season. If it's not Heard, it's gotta be an underclassmen with virtu- ally no experience. If Watts stays healthy and Heard works out, Notre Dame doesn't have much to worry about. Defensive backs can eat up snaps better than most other defensive positions. There's also the challenge of integrating projected nickel starter Jordan Clark, for- merly of Arizona State, into the fold. Mor- rison and Watts are as sturdy of center- pieces as any. But the Irish will still have three new secondary starters in nickel from what they threw out last year. Assistant coach Mike Mickens takes over as the lead man in charge of the entire defensive back corps after former Irish safeties coach Chris O'Leary left for the Los Angeles Chargers. Time for Mickens to make his mark. PERSONNEL UPDATE Position Coach: Mike Mickens (fifth season) Returning Starters: Jr. CB Benjamin Morrison (20 career starts), Gr. S Xavier Watts (17) Departing Starters: CB Cam Hart (32), S DJ Brown (23) Projected New Starters: Gr. CB Jordan Clark (23), Gr. S Rod Heard II (18), Jr. CB Jaden Mickey (3) Top Reserves: Gr. CB Clarence Lewis, Sr. CB Chance Tucker, So. CB Christian Gray, So. CB Micah Bell, So. S Ben Minich, So. S Adon Shuler, So. S Luke Talich Newcomers: Clark, Heard, Gr. S Devyn Ford, Fr. CB Leonard Moore, Fr. CB Kar- son Hobbs, Fr. S Taebron Bennie-Powell, Fr. S Kennedy Urlacher, Fr. S Tae Johnson POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH FIELD CORNER Morrison is going to start at boundary corner for the third season in a row. But with Cam Hart off to the NFL, who's going to team up with him as the starter at field corner? It'll either be fellow junior Jaden Mickey or sophomore Christian Gray. That competition should be a good one. NUMBERS TO KNOW 7 Interceptions for graduate student safety Xavier Watts in 2023, tying him with Wisconsin's Ricardo Hallman for the most in the nation. Watts became the third player in Notre Dame history to lead the country in picks. 13 Incomplete passes forced by junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison last year, nine more than anyone else on the Irish roster. Watts, Clarence Lewis, Cam Hart and Thomas Harper tied for second with 4 apiece. 97.09 Rating in team passing efficiency defense for Notre Dame in 2023, the best in the nation. Ohio State (99.21) was the only other team with a rating below 100. ALL EYES ON … JUNIOR BENJAMIN MORRISON This might be Morrison's final season in a Notre Dame uniform. He's got the makings of someone more than worthy of being drafted after his junior season. He has 9 career interceptions. Only 10 play- ers in Irish history have had 11 or more. Graduate student safety Xavier Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Award last year as the nation's top defensive player. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER