The Notre Dame offseason just got way better as All-American safety Xavier Watts announced his plans to return to the program for a fifth and final season with the program.
Watts joins fellow All-American Howard Cross III as well as defensive tackle Rylie Mills and linebacker Jack Kiser as veteran defenders who decided to return to the program for one more season in 2024. Getting Watts back is the biggest decision yet for a number of reasons.
The Notre Dame offseason just got way better as All-American safety Xavier Watts announced his plans to return to the program for a fifth and final season with the program.
Watts joins fellow All-American Howard Cross III as well as defensive tackle Rylie Mills and linebacker Jack Kiser as veteran defenders who decided to return to the program for one more season in 2024. Getting Watts back is the biggest decision yet for a number of reasons.
After spending the previous season as a rotation player at safety, Watts became a breakout star for Notre Dame in 2023, racking 47 tackles this season, and he added 2.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
Where he made his biggest impact was forcing turnovers, with the Nebraska native leading the nation with seven interceptions, and he also returned a fumble for a touchdown. In fact, all eight of his turnovers ended with scores, either directly from him or from the Irish offense.
After spending the previous season as a rotation player at safety, Watts became a breakout star for Notre Dame in 2023, racking 47 tackles this season, and he added 2.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
Where he made his biggest impact was forcing turnovers, with the Nebraska native leading the nation with seven interceptions, and he also returned a fumble for a touchdown. In fact, all eight of his turnovers ended with scores, either directly from him or from the Irish offense.
Following the regular season, Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player and then earned unanimous All-America honors.
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