Xavier Watts Earns First Team All-America Honors From ESPN, Sports Illustrated

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts continues to rack up All-American honors

Notre Dame senior safety Xavier Watts continues to pile up postseason awards, this time earning first-team All-America honors from both ESPN and Sports Illustrated. It was a true breakout season for the Irish star, who quickly became one of the top defenders in the country this season.

Here is what ESPN had to say about Watts getting on their first-team squad.

"Watts came to Notre Dame as a receiver and didn't become a full-time starter at safety until this season. The 6-foot, 204-pound senior blossomed into one of the best defenders in college football in winning the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given annually to the top defensive player in the country. Watts leads the nation with seven interceptions and is tied for fourth on Notre Dame with 47 total tackles." - ESPN

Watts has already earned unanimous All-American honors after being named to the first-team by Walter Camp, Sporting News, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association. He also earned first-team All-America honors from CBS Sports, USA TODAY Sports, The Athletic and now ESPN and Sports Illustrated.

The Nebraska native is the first Notre Dame defensive back to earn unanimous All-American honors since 2002, when cornerback Shane Walton earned the same honor. Watts is also the first true safety in Notre Dame history to earn unanimous All-American honors.

Watts finished the 2023 regular season with 47 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. He also picked off seven passes, which led the nation. Watts also recovered a fumble. What was impressive about his turnovers is that every single one resulted in a Notre Dame score. He returned his one fumble recovery for a touchdown, five of his interceptions were immediately followed by an offensive touchdown, and two more interceptions were followed by field goals.

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