Why Notre Dame’s defensive backs are the key to its elite defense

This story appears in the Blue & Gold Illustrated 2024 Notre Dame Football Preview. To order your copy of the 160-page, full-color, glossy magazine, which includes opponent previews, Fighting Irish position previews and position previews like this one, click here .

This is Part 1 in a four-part series previewing the Notre Dame defensive backs.

Few teams blitzed more than Notre Dame in 2023. No one was better at it.

The proof is in the numbers, according to Sports Info Solutions. The Irish sent five or more rushers on 173 pass attempts, which ranked fifth in the nation. They stood atop college football with 4.4 opponent yards per attempt against the blitz.

The proof is in the tape, too — quarterbacks all season were flustered against Notre Dame’s pressure packages. They ran out of time quickly, and even worse, their targets were rarely open.

That last note is the key to it all.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden knew his secondary was good enough to stick with pass catchers in single coverage. He built his scheme around that belief on passing downs. His defensive backs rewarded that belief making it extraordinarily difficult to throw on the Irish, even when they sent five or six rushers.

“Knowing that [Golden is] trusting us, that’s huge,” then-Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart said last September. “That opens up a lot for the front seven that he can trust us to do what we have to do on the outside and the back end, and allow those boys to earn the right to rush the quarterback.”

“It just shows how confident Coach Golden is in us to be able to lock down when the game is on the line,” then-Irish safety DJ Brown added.

Hart and Brown moved on, but if spring practice is any indication, Golden’s trust in his secondary remains. He sent hellfire at new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock ’s group, because he knew his starting defensive backs weren’t losing one-on-one.

And if the quarterback sees no recourse, panics and makes a mistake, Notre Dame has two superstars who will make him pay.

Junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison and graduate student safety Xavier Watts have combined for 16 interceptions the past two seasons. All 7 of Watts’ picks came this past season, for which he won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the country’s best defensive player. Although right shoulder surgery cut Morrison’s spring short, both looked as good — if not better — as they’ve ever been, entering their third season starting together.

In practice No. 1, Morrison came down with a ridiculous one-handed interception and dominated one-on-ones against all of Notre Dame’s wideouts. Watts jumped a short route for a pick six in Notre Dame’s “jersey scrimmage” April 13.

Joining Watts and Morrison are two graduate transfers, Jordan Clark (Arizona State) and Rod Heard II (Northwestern). Battling to replace Hart at cornerback are sophomore Christian Gray and junior Jaden Mickey , who have both flashed elite talent. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler will be a factor, too, after a productive spring. Now consolidated into one position group under defensive backs coach Mike Mickens , Notre Dame’s secondary figures to anchor Golden’s system once again.

Notre Dame scholarship defensive backs

Listed after the class year are the years of eligibility remaining.

Boundary Cornerback
20    Benjamin Morrison (6-0, 190), Jr./2
18 Chance Tucker (6-0, 189), Sr./2
15 Leonard Moore (6-1, 187), Fr./4

Field Cornerback
7     Jaden Mickey (6-0, 178), Jr./2
29    Christian Gray (6-0, 187), So./3

Left Safety
2     Rod Heard II (5-11, 195), Gr./1
8     Adon Shuler (6-0, 200), So./4
23 Kennedy Urlacher (5-11, 196), Fr./4
31 Taebron Bennie-Powell (6-1, 177), Fr./4

Right Safety
0     Xavier Watts (6-0, 203), Gr./1
28 Luke Talich (6-4, 208), So./3
13 Ben Minich (6-0, 192), So./4
16 Tae Johnson (6-2, 175), Fr./4

Nickel Back
1     Jordan Clark (5-10, 181), Gr./1
21 Karson Hobbs (6-1, 184), Fr./4

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