Spring Preview: Safety

Notre Dame will have a depth chart this spring that looks vastly different than what we saw a year ago at this time. The expectations, however, have not changed. Notre Dame needs consistent production from its safeties if the defense is going to play championship football.

There are plenty of numbers and talent, but there is work to be done for that group to turn all that into the production needed to play at a championship level.

SPRING DEPTH CHART (Projected)

2021 STATS

Brandon Joseph - 80 tackles, 4 break ups, 3 INT (Northwestern stats)
DJ Brown - 42 tackles, 1 break up, 3 INT
Houston Griffith - 38 tackles
Xavier Watts - 15 tackles
Ramon Henderson - 14 tackles, 1 INT

BIG SHOES FOR JOSEPH TO FILL

It might not be fair, but Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph is being tasked with filling the All-American void that was left by Kyle Hamilton. Joseph was an All-American for the Wildcats in 2020 when he registered 52 tackles and picked off six passes in just nine games.

He arrives at Notre Dame as Hamilton departs, which is perfect timing for the Irish.

Joseph was a captain for Northwestern last season and he should be able to thrive in the Notre Dame defense. The 6-1, 192-pound senior is a different type of player than Hamilton. While the former Irish All-American made highlight reel after highlight reel plays the last two seasons thanks to his exceptional range, Joseph is more of a steady, get your job done type of player.

When he had a better supporting cast in 2020, Joseph was able to play within the system and constantly be around the football. He was good in the run game and made a ton of plays in the pass game. Last season the talent around him wasn't nearly as good and Joseph tried to do too much, and he wasn't nearly as sound or as effective.

At Notre Dame he'll be surrounded by very, very good talent. Joseph will be able to focus on doing his job, which means using his intelligence and quality athleticism to play the alleys and thrive as both a run defender and zone defender.

Notre Dame needs a steadying presence at safety, and Joseph has a chance to be that. This spring we'll see how quickly he can pick up the defense, establish himself as a leader and playmaker, and show that the player we saw in 2020 is who Joseph is.

HENDERSON COULD HOLD THE KEY

I expect Joseph to at least be a solid player for Notre Dame. I don't know if he'll be an All-American, we'll have to see how he adapts to the Irish defense, but I think he'll at least provide the defense with an intelligent, disciplined and quality football player.

The biggest question going into the spring is what will we see next to him.

Junior Ramon Henderson is arguably the most intriguing player returning at safety. Notre Dame wants to put a long, athletic and fast defense on the field and there isn't a safety on the roster that has a better combination of length, athleticism and speed.

Henderson showed flashes last season thanks to that elite speed. The technique wasn't always great, he wasn't always where he needed to be and he would disappear at times, but there is no questioning his athletic skills.

Those struggles were to be expected when you consider that he didn't move to safety until the week before the Irish played Virginia. The critiques I mentioned refer to where his game needs to be moving forward, but I was incredibly impressed with how smooth the transition was for Henderson at the time, and he looked far more comfortable playing safety than he ever did playing corner.

Unless he moves back to corner, Henderson showed the natural tools to develop into an outstanding safety. The question is how quickly can he turn his athleticism and potential into a level of production that matches those tools.

This spring will be a chance for Henderson to focus on the finer points of safety play, and if he takes to them his game will have a chance to explode in the fall, and he could combine with Joseph and the other returners to make the safety position a strength of the team.

LAST CHANCE TO SHINE

Fifth-year seniors Houston Griffith and DJ Brown were key members of the rotation last season and they'll certainly get plenty of chances to do the same in 2022. There's a chance only one of them is still a regular in the rotation, and the spring go a very long way to telling us if that happens.

Brown made more plays than Griffith last season, but he also had some struggles and gave up some big plays. Brown had a tendency to get himself a step or two out of position, and he simply lacks the speed to recover when he makes those mistakes.

This spring he'll need to eliminate those mistakes and play a cleaner game. If he does that Brown will continue to be a key part of the rotation. If he doesn't I believe there are other players who could push him aside.

Griffith was the opposite of Brown in my view. He didn't make many mistakes (the few he did were noticeable) but he also made very, very few plays. Griffith didn't have a single break up or interception this season.

The Chicago native has taken on a leadership role this spring, which is great to see, but not he needs to show that he can become more of a playmaker on the field. Griffith gets one final shot to become the player Irish fans hoped he would be when he signed.

WATTS IS A WILD CARD

Rising junior Xavier Watts is a big wild card for Notre Dame in many ways. To begin, where does he play? Watts played wide receiver, rover and safety last season. He's projected to play safety this season, but I've advocated for him moving back to receiver, and if Notre Dame wanted to play a more traditional 4-2-5 defense I could see him thriving in the rover/nickel position.

I would argue that Watts is the best all-around athlete at safety, with only Henderson being in his league. Watts, to me, is a more sudden and agile athlete but Henderson has more speed, but they both move very, very well.

Like Henderson, Watts didn't get to spend much time at safety last season before being thrust into an on-field role. He had some impressive moments and some others where he looked like a guy who was learning a new position. That experience should be good for him this spring, as he'll get to focus on the technical and fundamental part of the game.

If Watts and Henderson settle in at safety they immediately give the back end of the defense two top-level athletes to partner with Joseph. There is no doubt that this trio gives Notre Dame far more athleticism than it had in its top three last season, even with Hamilton in the mix.

Watts is a bit of a thumper despite not being all that big. He's a bit aggressive, which is something he'll need to clean up as a deep safety. I expect him to be a force in the run game immediately, but Watts will need to clean up his footwork and assignments in pass coverage.

This is why I could see Watts get a role in the slot as basically a rover in a more traditional five-man secondary. It's easy to use that position as more of a defensive back than a linebacker, and against teams like Ohio State, Clemson and USC that would be an ideal matchup.

I could see rising sophomore Justin Walters playing a similar role.

Notre Dame will have a successful spring if ....

Joseph is as good as advertised, the veterans (Brown and Griffith) improve their games and both Henderson and Watts make big strides. Do that and the Irish will have a deep group of players ready to thrive in the fall.

PREVIOUS SPRING PREVIEWS

Quarterback
Running Back
Linebacker

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