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Texas A&M Week 1 Preview: Notre Dame Defensive Players to Watch

The Texas A&M Aggies and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will meet for just the sixth time in history to begin the college football season.

Matt Galatzan

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
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The No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to square off on Saturday at Kyle Field in what will be the biggest matchup of college football's opening weekend.

Coming to College Station this weekend are two offenses that are expected to be two of the most explosive offenses in the country, led by top-tier quarterbacks.

However, both teams also field extremely talented units on the defensive side of the ball. That is particularly true for the Irish, who are once again expected to have one of the top defenses in the country in 2024.

With that in mind, here are a few players to watch for the Irish when they take the field against the

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Notre Dam
Sep 30, 2023; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard (13) tries to elude Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) during the second half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

DL HOWARD CROSS III

Cross finished second on the team in tackles last season to linebacker J.D. Bertrand, who was drafted in the fifth round of April's NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Cross tallied 66 total tackles last season with 28 solo to go along with two sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles.

Jordan Botelh
Oct 29, 2022; Syracuse, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jordan Botelho (12) gets past Syracuse Orange offensive lineman Christopher Bleich (63) to sack quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (16) in the fourth quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

DL JORDAN BOTELHO

Botelho was second on the team in sacks last year to edge rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste who was drafted in the seventh round of April's NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. Botelho registered four sacks and will have an increased role in the Irish's defense after the departure of Jean-Baptiste.

Xavier Watts
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

S XAVIER WATTS

Watts finished first on the Irish defense with seven interceptions last season. He was also fourth on the team with 52 total tackles with 30 solo. He registered a team-high 137 yards on return yards after his interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns In SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks with the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com for 247Sports. He then moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki, ex Longhorns Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, FOX News and former ESPN host Will Cain, as well as countless other recruits and former players for each of the teams he has covered. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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