Notre Dame Notebook: Chris O'Leary Talks Brandon Joseph, Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson

Notre Dame Chris O'Leary gave the latest with the Irish safeties, who have high expectations in 2022

With the days counting down until Notre Dame’s Sept. 3 season opener at Ohio State, the one true given in the back end of the Fighting Irish secondary is senior safety Brandon Joseph. The spot next to the Northwestern transfer is still under review by safeties coach Chris O’Leary.

The third year Irish assistant coach addressed a number of topics for his position group.

On Brandon Joseph

The former Northwestern All-American has not disappointed in his first fall training camp. He made a highlight reel interception at the final full open practice during an 11 on 11 live rep.

"He's a football player,” O’Leary said of Joseph. "You know, he's a football player. He's probably been playing football since he was like 6 years old or something, but guys like that, they have a knack for the game where they see something once from the offense, they're going to remember it forever. He finds himself in the right spot, because he studies and he has a knack for the game of football.”

Joseph has a knack for being around the ball. He tied for the nation lead with six interceptions despite playing just nine games in his All-American 2020 campaign. His timing on the aforementioned interception in practice was just right, as he high pointed the ball to come down with the diving grab. O’Leary says Joseph’s receiving background is a big benefit to him now.

"He catches like a receiver," O'Leary noted. "He tracks punt returns. He does all those things that involve the football, and he does it with confidence and ease. Half the battle of catching the ball is confidence, and he's got plenty of it.”

Who Plays Safety Next To Brandon Joseph?

The three players who are most in the mix to play the other safety spot are  fifth-year seniors DJ Brown and Houston Griffith, and junior Ramon Henderson. So how is that shaking out?

"We're still we're still rolling guys through,” explained O’Leary. "Right now, all four of them understand that it's a competition up until game time. Our mindset in that room is all four guys right now our starters, and if we could start four guys, they’d all start. But at the end of the day we're putting two out there. We're going to put the best two at the moment out there and then everybody's playing a role. That's where we're at with It.”

The Ripple Affect Of Avery Davis’s Injury

When wide receiver Avery Davis tore his ACL, the immediate speculation was O’Leary could lose former wide receiver Xavier Watts to the offense. The junior is now splitting time between safety and receiver. 

"I was sick for Avery more than anything, but there's always — as people started to go down — yeah, that crosses your mind, because (Watts) is in a really good place at safety,” O’Leary stated. “He took an unbelievable step coming out of summer and fall, 10 practices or whatever.

"He had probably shown the most growth,” O’Leary continued. "So, he hasn't lost that. Now we’ve just got to share him a little bit. We've got to make sure that the team’s in the best position to win. But when we get the opportunity to rep him and get him out there, we’re going to get him out there.”

Watts has worked at both receiver and safety since Davis’s injury. That makes for busier times for the player and a little more juggling for his position coaches as well.

"It's good, man,” said O’Leary. "It makes me work a little harder. I’ve got to get extra meeting time with him. I’ve got to make sure that he stays up on what we're doing. It's not hard on him. It's challenging, and he's got to find time to meet extra with the offense and the defense. Days off really aren’t days off for him, because he's got to learn. So, it's been really good. It's been challenging, but it's been good.”

The Growth Of Ramon Henderson

Ramon Henderson began his career as a cornerback, but he moved to safety last season. O’Leary likes the growth he has seen from the junior from Bakersfield, Calif.

"He has a much better command of what we're doing on defense, how to fit the run game,” O’Leary explained. "I didn't even know that he knew what a run fit was when he came over last year, but he could fit the box. He understands the checks. He's put himself in better positions down the field.

"So, he's really, really grown in his understanding and command of playing the safety position."

On Houston Griffith

Veteran Houston Griffith finished last season with a career-best 38 tackles and an interception. Tackling continues to be an emphasis for the now fifth year safety.

"An emphasis on being physical, attacking the football, being violent, because really, that's his greatest asset is if he comes downhill, he better hit somebody,” O’Leary said of Griffith. "He's been doing a really good job of that. It sets the tone for our defense, and then any opportunity he gets to make a play, we’ve got to make it. He's really grown in that area.”

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