Xavier Watts Showed Off His Talent And Versatility In 2021
Versatility can be a blessing and a burden sometimes. Notre Dame sophomore Xavier Watts has played wide receiver, rover linebacker and safety this season for the Irish.
He’s fine with being a safety for now. Who knows what next year could bring but whatever it is, the multitalented Watts is ready for anything.
Watts, who started the year as a wide receiver, was switched to rover linebacker after the Florida State game. They needed someone to take the spot of backup Paul Moala, who was lost of the season with an Achilles injury. Moala was the third Notre Dame linebacker to go down with a season-ending injury before the Irish were even out of the first game.
Watts was as surprised as anyone else. He was recruited as a wide receiver.
“I was like, “I don’t look like Jack (Kiser) or JD (Bertrand) or anyone else,” he said. “I was willing to give it a try.”
Watts was just excited to get on the field and play, and his mantra has been he’ll do anything for the team.
That meant moving to his current position of safety even though he’s listed on the depth chart at rover. He moved to safety after Kyle Hamilton was hurt.
The Fighting Irish have extended their safety by committee philosophy more extensively after Hamilton went down. Watts is part of a four-man rotation that also consists of Houston Griffith, Ramon Henderson and DJ Brown.
Watts, a 6-foot, 195-pound redshirt freshman, has played in 10 games. He has 14 tackles. The more he plays the more comfortable he gets.
“It’s just fun to be back there,” he said. “Just to be free and be able to run to the ball.”
Watts said the biggest focus for him lately has been focusing on technique.
“When I first started, it was just play free and fast,” he said. “Now, it’s like I have to work on fundamentals.”
Notre Dame safeties coach Chris O’Leary said Watts has been fun to coach.
“He’s grown a lot,” O’Leary said. “Seeing his development from rover to safety and seeing him find a home at safety that's what it’s all about. The investment he’s put in at getting better and watching film has been unbelievable.”
Watts played wide receiver and in the secondary in high school.
He arrived at Notre Dame hoping to play receiver.
The move to defense after the FSU game seemed like it would be the quickest way to the field at the time, but Notre Dame lost Lawrence Keys III to the transfer portal and later Avery Davis and Joe Wilkins Jr. to season-ending injuries.
The thought of jumping back into the receiver fray did enter his mind. It’s out of his control, though.
“I’m not going to lie, a little bit,” he said when asked if he was hoping the coaching staff might consider moving him back to offense after the injuries to Davis and Wilkins Jr. “I don’t know how to explain it. I was already at safety and just switching back and forth would’ve been too much.”
Watts said that an injury during summer camp held him back perhaps at receiver.
“It was frustrating,” he said. “I had a hamstring injury about the time I started to breakthrough. I wouldn’t say it messed me up but then everything started to happen so fast.”
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