SOUTH BEND — For the second time in three seasons, Notre Dame football will have a Northwestern transfer starting in its defensive secondary.
While a high ankle sprain limited former All-America safety Brandon Joseph down the stretch in 2022, the positional versatility of Rod Heard II offers a range of possibilities this fall. In fact, Heard sees that as one of his greatest strengths.
“Being able to maximize and make plays in all different phases of the game, I think that’s what makes me a special player,” the grad transfer said in late June. “I want to maintain that.”
After leading the nation in defensive pass efficiency last season, Notre Dame said goodbye to multiyear stalwarts Cam Hart, DJ Brown and Clarence Lewis along with Oklahoma State grad transfer Thomas Harper. Safeties coach Chris O’Leary also made the jump to the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, where Hart and Harper have already joined him.
That puts even more of a spotlight on the experienced combo of Arizona State grad transfer Jordan Clark, who took most of the first-team reps at nickelback in the spring, and Heard, who was limited to an observer’s role while finishing up his Northwestern master’s degree in information design strategy.
“All these (interior) spots are kind of interchangeable now anyway,” said Heard, listed at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds. “I think that’s why they wanted me here, because I still have the ability to play the nickel, play safety, play zone coverage, play man coverage and all that.
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“That was their main pitch: ‘Coming here, you'll have opportunities to make plays. You fit right into the defense.’ “
With cornerbacks guru/defensive pass game coordinator Mike Mickens now overseeing the entire secondary, Heard sees plenty of personal opportunity as he slides into a group with All-America frontrunners Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison at safety and cornerback, respectively.
“It's still the same stuff I love,” Heard said. “I like playing safety. I like being able to come downhill, run the alley, make plays, be free, read the quarterback. Being able to do just what I already do."
Jordan Clark and Rod Heard II join forces
In Clark and Heard, Notre Dame has added a pair of sixth-year veterans with a combined 4,126 career snaps on defense: 1,856 for Clark and 2,270 for Heard.
Northwestern ranked 42nd in pass defense in 2023. Arizona State was 113th.
While mostly playing in the slot last season, Heard was Northwestern’s third-leading tackler, adding a sack, four tackles for loss, an interception, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
“He’s smart,” Mickens said of Heard. “He’s going to be expected to learn multiple positions for us, just like we do in our system for everybody. That’s what he’s doing right now. He just has to learn and be mentally with it.”
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A three-star recruit from Farmington Hills, Mich., Heard picked Northwestern over an offer from Cincinnati when Mickens and future Irish coach Marcus Freeman were on staff. Michigan, Purdue, Syracuse, Iowa State, Indiana and Army also offered Heard, whose father, Roderick, played football at Eastern Illinois.
According to Pro Football Focus, Clark’s coverage grade last year was just 67.3, slightly better than Thomas Harper’s 65.8 mark as the Irish slot corner. Heard, meanwhile, posted a career-best 83.4 coverage rating last fall for the Wildcats, which would have put him in right in line with Morrison (84.6), Hart (84.2) and sophomore cornerback Christian Gray (84.2).
That’s where the interchangeable part comes in for Clark (5-10, 181) and Heard.
“Clark is learning two positions as well, safety and nickel,” Mickens said. “He’s picking it up. Those guys are intentional. They come in, they meet and they work. That’s the great thing about it.”
With pre-snap disguise one of the hallmarks of coordinator Al Golden’s defense, opposing quarterbacks might be left guessing from series to series, if not down to down, where Clark and Heard will line up.
“It all depends on the game, the personnel, the game plan,” Mickens said, “but both of them will be able to give each other breathers and things of that nature.”
Rod Heard II: Don't box me in
When asked where he thinks he might project at the pro level, Heard gave a long pause before answering.
“I don't want to box myself into one thing,” he said. “That's kind of what makes me unique in a sense, being able to do different things and still play at a high level. But I love playing in the slot. I’ve had the most experience there.
“It's a different game than playing high (safety) but I also like playing high and I actually kind of wanted more experience in that space. I felt like sometimes I didn't get the ability to play in that position as much given the need for me to play so much in the slot.”
While helping Northwestern survive a hazing scandal on route to an 8-5 finish last season, Heard should have even more chances to impress NFL scouts with his tape this fall.
“I don't think Notre Dame has changed or shifted my trajectory of what I will be in the league,” he said. “Going off the NFL evaluations that I've had, because of that versatility and moving around, it's kind of mixed signals.”
He shugged.
“Some people need nickels and some people need (safeties),” Heard said. “I think that will continue as I go to the transition after college football.”
In the meantime, Heard jumps into this year’s Irish stew with the precise ingredients that should help Mickens cook.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com.
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