Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 16, 2024 17 the Irish to see. But the coaching staff will tell you he's made even more of an impact than meets the eye. "There were a couple challenges when he decided to come back," Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "Those three things are markedly better than a year ago. I mean, markedly better." IN COMMAND The first thing both head coach Mar- cus Freeman and Golden said Watts is doing better: command of the defense. "He's really improved his vocal com- munication," Freeman said. "He's a leader. He's a problem solver. He gets guys lined up." With DJ Brown's eligibility expiring, it fell on Watts to be the vocal and ce- rebral epicenter on the back end. It's his job to get everyone on the same page, to correct mistakes when his teammates aren't lined up in the right spots and to call it out when the offense lines up in a formation the Irish haven't seen before. The Omaha, Neb., native has taken that responsibility head-on. "Last year, I was a little shy," Watts said. "I didn't talk as much, but now, I'm an older guy. I'm a captain. I pick up the defense and the team, It's my job to command all the guys around the field." Golden can point to 30 or so moments on tape throughout the first eight games of the season when Watts made a check or changed a coverage to the benefit of Notre Dame's defense. He doesn't just yell it out, either. Golden remembers Watts, during the win over Louisville in Week 5, sprinting down toward junior Benjamin Morri- son's cornerback spot to tell him some- thing and then sprinting back. "That's command," Golden said. "It's undeniable when you see it as an evalu- ator." Watts spent much of spring practice picking Golden's brain, along with de- fensive backs coach Mike Mickens'. He didn't just want to know what his job on each call was; he felt like he had a good grasp on that. He wanted to know what everyone's job was. "If I know I don't need to cover some- body because somebody else is going to be in the back side, it allows me to play faster on the front side to pick a ball," Watts said. "Those certain aspects, I feel like I've grown in." With Shuler as his running mate, Freeman explained, Watts' leadership has been especially critical. That logic also applies to Notre Dame's three un- derclassman linebackers, for whom Watts has been a valuable resource. And for Shuler, who looks up to his veteran teammate as he looks to eventu- ally take over his role, Watts has meant everything. "It makes me want to play even bet- ter, because I know X is out here making spectacular, crazy plays," Shuler said. "I have to match him and be a little better. That's always been my goal. "Me and him, every game we kind of compare, what did you do? Knowing X is going to make the plays, it helps me." MAN: DENIED Major improvement No. 2, accord- ing to Golden: Watts is now one of the best man-coverage safeties in college football. He's been asked to do it more, relative to coverage snaps, than all but one safety in the country (Purdue's Dillon Thiene- man). Quarterbacks targeting him man- to-man have completed 9 of 16 throws for 79 yards (4.9 yards per attempt) with 2 interceptions. Watts' passer rating against in man coverage is 29.9, which ranks 25th out of more than 250 quali- fied safeties. For reference, an incom- plete pass carries a passer rating of 39.6. "He really has been challenged a lot," Golden said. "Ended up on the slot or No. 3 to the field, and has done a good job." Over the offseason, Watts explained, his mindset shifted. The defensive back room has a slogan: "DMM," or "Deny My Man." Watts lives by that. "The mental is the most important battle," Watts said. "If you're lined up against somebody and you're like, 'I'm scared to cover them,' you've already lost against them." No. 3 was what Golden described as Watts' "transitions from the post." Es- sentially, that means when Watts starts to backpedal, he can put his foot in the ground and run downhill faster and more efficiently than ever before. Watts is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defen- sive back in college football. NFL evalu- ators are going to see the progress he has made and line up to draft him, after they gave him a mid-to-late-round grade a season ago. Watts chose to come back in large part to prove his award-winning 2023 cam- paign wasn't a one-off. He's done much more than that. ✦ "Last year, I was a little shy. I didn't talk as much, but now, I'm an older guy. I'm a captain. I pick up the defense and the team. It's my job to command all the guys around the field." WATTS Watts made the decision to return to Notre Dame for his fifth and final season, despite the NFL Draft being a real option for him after he intercepted 7 passes and won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's best defensive player in 2023. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER