Notre Dame Season Preview: Safety Play Could Be Better Than Expected

Notre Dame should get even better safety play in 2023, assuming a couple of players step up

Evaluating the play of the Notre Dame safeties in 2022 can be a challenge. There were some good things from the group and there are certainly areas for improvement. They had few bad moments, but they also made very few big plays.

However you evaluate the play of the safeties last season one thing is very clear, the unit must play better in 2023. It's year three for Chris O'Leary as the Irish safeties coach, and he needs to get his unit to be more consistent and to make a lot more plays on the football, while also improving their ability to tackle.

How well this unit improves will certainly have an impact on the Irish defense this season.

Let's continue our 2023 Notre Dame season previews with a look at the safeties.

2023 ROSTER

Here is a look at the returning production at the safety position:

DJ Brown - 105 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 5 break ups, 3 interceptions
Antonio Carter - 105 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 10 break ups, 1 INT (at Rhode Island)
Thomas Harper - 93 tackles, 5 TFL, 6 break ups, 2 INT (at Oklahoma State)
Xavier Watts - 54 tackles, 2 TFL, 4 break ups
Ramon Henderson - 37 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 break up, 1 INT

PRODUCTION UPGRADE IS A MUST

I mentioned the 2022 safeties didn't make a lot of big mistakes, nor did they make a lot of big plays. The pick six from Brandon Joseph in the 41-24 win over Syracuse was big, but there wasn't nearly enough of that kind of impact play last season.

Notre Dame's safeties combined for the fewest tackles since 2016 and the fewest solo tackles since 2013. The seven passes defensed (6 break ups, 1 INT) is the program's lowest since the 2016 season. When you're production is comparing to the 2016 season - when Notre Dame finished 4-8 - is never a good thing.

For context, since 2010 the Irish safeties have combined for at least 20 passes defensed three times (2019, 2018, 2010), and at least 13 passes defensed five more times (2021, 2020, 2017, 2014, 2011). 

This lack of production on the ball at the safety position is a big reason why Notre Dame's defense ranked 125th in total passes defensed (34). Notre Dame's safeties need to at least double the on ball production this season and also produce more solo tackles while limiting the unusually high number of missed tackles we see from this group.

BREAKOUT FOR WATTS

The emergence of former wide receiver Xavier Watts late in the 2022 season is certainly a reason for optimism at safety. After moving back and forth from receiver to defense throughout his career, Watts was finally allowed to settle in at safety during the second half of last season.

Despite finishing 14th on the defense in snaps (according to PFF), Watts finished seventh on the defense in tackles, fifth on the defense in solo tackles and he had half of the team's passes defensed (3). Much of that production came late in the season as he started to show a greater comfort as a defender. Twenty-two of his 39 tackles, 15 of his 24 solo tackles and two of his three pass break ups came in the last four games of the season.

Watts must become a more consistent player, but he's athletic, he's instinctive and he has the most playmaking talent at the safety position. If he can build on his strong 2022 finish, Watts could be a breakout player for the Irish defense. He could very well hold the key to Notre Dame's safeties being impactful enough to fuel a championship caliber defense.

NOW OR NEVER FOR HENDERSON

There isn't a more explosive athlete at safety than senior Ramon Henderson, who has shown flashes of big-time ability, but those flashes have been too few and far between.

Henderson has impressive length, and he's without question the fastest safety on the roster. Go look at the interception he made against Virginia in 2021 if you want to see his range on full display. The issue is Henderson has always looked more like an athlete trying to learn football than an instinctive football player.

Will that change in his senior season? We'll find out, but Notre Dame would certainly benefit from the light going on for Henderson. In fact, if both Watts and Henderson can both have breakout seasons they have the athleticism and playmaking ability to turn this position group from being a question mark to a significant strength.

BROWN PROVIDES LEADERSHIP

Sixth-year senior DJ Brown provides a great deal of leadership to the defense, and he's clearly a favorite of the Notre Dame coaches. Brown is a solid player that is at his best when he's playing smart, beating offensive players to the ball and being sound with his assignments.

When he gets in trouble is when he gets out of position or gets caught in space. Brown isn't an overly athletic player, so he can get in trouble in space, and if he takes an initially bad angle he lacks the speed to overcome it.

Watts and Henderson breaking out would allow Brown to serve as a key rotation player that can handle both the field and boundary safety positions. Getting him into some sort of a "super sub" role would allow him to utilize his football IQ and experience and limit the amount of times opponents can get him in space.

TRANSFER IMPACT

Notre Dame welcomes a pair of transfer to the secondary, and both are listed as safeties on the roster. Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper and Rhode Island transfer Antonio Carter II provide Notre Dame with very important depth on the back end.

Harper is projected to battle for the starting nickel role, and if he's healthy and playing like he did in 2022 for the Cowboys he'll win that job relatively easily. Harper is bigger than last season's nickel - TaRiq Bracy - and his coverage skills are top notch. He allowed completions at a lower rate (59.4% to 67.9%), fewer yards per target (5.8 YPT to 7.2 YPT) and fewer yards allowed per catch (9.7 YPC to 10.6 YPC).

Harper picking up where he left off in 2022 prior to going out with a shoulder injury will mean Notre Dame once again is strong at the nickel position.

Carter is making a different type of transition. Not only is he moving from the FCS level to the Power 5 level, he's also making the transition from cornerback, which is where he played for the Rams. Carter was a physical cornerback, so he should improve the tackle at the position. If he can run well enough and handle the coverage responsibilities he will help upgrade the safety group.

FRESHMAN IMPACT

Notre Dame welcomed a pair of talented freshmen to the roster with the winter/spring arrivals of Ben Minich and Adon Shuler. Both battled injuries during their first spring, but both are healthy now and will provide quality depth to the safety position.

Minich was a standout rookie during the spring prior to going out around the halfway point with a thumb injury. His combination of athleticism and intelligence give him a chance to push veterans for a very early role on special teams and at safety. I wouldn't be surprised if he forces his way onto the field at some point this season.

Shuler missed out on his first spring after getting a shoulder injury he suffered in high school repaired when he arrived. Another high football IQ player in the rookie class, Shuler might be a bit too far behind to get on the field as a freshman, but he is a talented player that could make himself hard to keep off the bench as we get deeper into the season.

KEY STORYLINES

1. Will The Safeties Be More Impact - I broke it down above, but it's worth repeating here. Notre Dame's safeties need to make a lot more plays this season. Will they? We'll see, but the answer will have a significant impact on the defense one way or the other.

2. Watts Ready To Shine - Sources around the program are excited to see what Watts can be this season. He built on his strong finish to the 2022 season and became a leader and playmaker for the defense in the spring. Notre Dame needs that to carry into fall camp and obviously onto game days.

3. How Quickly Can The Transfers Settle In - If Harper and Carter can get healthy, stay healthy and get up to speed they will provide a lot of help to the secondary. I will be a bit surprised if Harper isn't the starting nickel, and I expect Carter to be a key special teams player and reserve safety in his first season.

4. Tackling Must Improve - Notre Dame's safeties missed 30 tackles in 2022, which is an absurdly high number. Compare that to the 19 missed tackles that Georgia's safeties had last season despite playing two more games than Notre Dame. They have to clean this up in a big way this season. The good news is Watts had one of the best low missed tackle rates on the entire defense.

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