SOUTH BEND, Ind. — An unexpected development in this spring as Notre Dame’s defense navigates life after Xavier Watts is that a lookalike emerged from the transfer portal, albeit playing a different position than the two-time All-America safety.
More consequential than new No. 1 nickel Devonta Smith wearing the same “0” uniform and sporting dreads spilling out of the back of his helmet is finding a Xavier Watts’ act-alike before the Irish kick off the 2025 season Aug. 31 at Miami.
By then, Watts will likely be getting ready to start his rookie season with an NFL team and the Irish will be aspiring to finish No. 1 nationally for a third straight season in pass-efficiency defense.
What the latter process looks like nine practices into the 15 scheduled for this spring is a wave of young, hungry and talented players vying to be returning starting safety Adon Shuler’s new sidekick.
And hinting at a deeper safety rotation than last season’s.
Related Content
►Observations from Notre Dame spring football practice/scrimmage on April 5
► Rivals250 edge defender Ebenezer Ewetade commits to Notre Dame football
► Transcript: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman after spring practice No. 9
► Visitors rundown: Notre Dame football spring practice, April 5
► Notre Dame football injury report: OT Guerby Lambert out for spring
“I mean, it's hard to replace Xavier Watts,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday after a session staged indoors that included a roughly 60-play intrasquad scrimmage and was open to the media. “I think there was just a level of comfort just knowing with X, that he built that trust over time.
“Because he's so consistent, you just knew Xavier Watts was going to make the play or find a way to make a play. I am extremely confident in the safeties room. Adon is the returning starter. Those other guys haven't played much meaningful football for our program yet, but we think they're definitely talented.”
Maybe the most intriguing of a surging group that includes former walk-on Luke Talich, freshman early enrollees JaDon Blair and Ethan Long and sophomore special teams stalwart Kennedy Urlacher is a player who played a different position last season and missed the first eight games of the 2024 season with an injury.
And yet took some No. 1 reps during the scrimmage and played all over the formation and looked impressive doing so.
Sophomore Tae Johnson, last season’s emergency backup cornerback.
“It's been good to see him out there playing at the safety position, but he's also played some corner,” Freeman noted. “Could possibly play nickel. Really, an athletic young man that is really grasping the scheme of what he's asked to do, too, and playing at a high level. So, he's had a really good spring, and I hope he continues on this projection that he’s on.”
The one strong starting candidate who continues to be limited to mental reps is Virginia Tech grad transfer Jalen Stroman, who missed all but the opener of the Hokies’ 2024 season with a broken right clavicle.
A physical exam after enrolling at ND in January revealed the need to redo the surgery, which scratched Stroman from all but an observer role this spring. The other safeties have made the most of the opportunity for more reps, while Stroman has been diligent in the film room and learning defensive coordinator Chris Ash’s tweaks to predecessor Al Golden’s scheme.
“Right now, they're all competing and just improving,” Freeman said. “You're competing with yourself right now and to be the best version of you. And how do you constantly improve?
“At some point, we'll name a starter — in August, or whatever, if we need to. But trust is built through consistency. Trust is built through you doing your job over and over and over. And so, you can build trust in practice, but you're also going to build trust in a game, when it matters the most. They're doing a really good job, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in whoever would be on the field.”
Blue-Gold Game format
How about a nice side order of icky math to go with your Blue-Gold Game experience?
Actually, it’s almost more like the main course as the dreaded football version of golf’s Stableford Scoring System makes its way to Notre Dame Stadium next Saturday for the annual Blue-Gold Game. Kickoff is 2 p.m. EDT, and Peacock will stream exclusively.
Instead of a traditional game with traditional scoring, there will be points awarded for such things as third-down stops and first downs of certain proportions. It’s not unprecedented at Notre Dame, but it is during the Freeman regime.
The coach previewed it for the media and others in attendance at Saturday’s practice/scrimmage won by the defense by a 25-23 count.
“It will be offense versus defense,” Freeman said of the format. “We won't do a draft like we have in the past, because of numbers. We don't have the ability to truly have two complete offenses and defenses.
“[I] feel like it's going to be what's best for our program. So, we will go offense versus defense for the spring game, and score it in a way, kind of like we scored it today, something that our guys are familiar with. But we'll find a way to make it competitive. It'll be great to see those guys.”
Quarterback holding pattern
Of course Freeman was asked about the “naming the QB starter” timeline Saturday when he had previously said there is no timeline and has never named a starter during his three previous springs.
His more interesting responses had to do with how those three competing quarterbacks — and freshman Blake Hebert — are dealing with a couple of makeshift lines protecting them, with so many starters and wannabe starter Guerby Lambert limited or out. That as well as the issue of having to split up the meaningful reps.
“As a coaching staff, you just want to get them more [reps],” Freeman said, to the latter issue. “But they've handled it, handled it perfectly. They focus on the reps they get. They do the best job they can. If they're not in there, they're getting mental reps.
“They're helping each other out, and really focus on being the best version of them. And that's all you can ask. If you're worried about anything else, then you're not really helping yourself at all. If you're worried about counting the other person's reps and how many completions he has, that's not helping you be the best version of you. And so, they've been amazing.
“They've been just exactly what I thought they would be — mature and guys that take care of their business and take advantage of their opportunities that they're getting.”
And not worrying about a diluted No. 1 offensive line that consisted of from left tackle to right — sophomore Styles Prescod, junior Sullivan Absher, junior Joe Otting, junior Charles Jagusah and freshman Matty Augustine, with Jagusah the only one to have played meaningful reps in a game.
And they were going against an experienced front seven on defense in the scrimmage.
“They control what they control, right?” Freeman said of the QBs. “And there's different ways to evaluate the quarterbacks without an offensive line, with an offensive line. I think the thought is that just because they're young, they can't protect, but I think they've done a good job at protecting the quarterback at times.
“But that's the reality. You're going to get pressure as a quarterback, and you’ve got to find ways to maneuver through it, extend plays, make plays, but also be able to take care of the football. And if there’s nothing open and you’re getting pressure, at times you're going to take a sack or throw the ball away.
“I think they've been put in really good situations. But I don't know if that's had an impact on the evaluation of the quarterbacks. I don't think at all.”
All three contenders had some success moving the ball against the Irish defense during the scrimmage, including not-known-for-running Steve Angeli on some impressive QB runs. Kenny Minchey threw the only interception, and CJ Carr the only TD pass — a fourth-down, 28-yard TD strike to freshman Elijah Burress on the last play of the scrimmage, no less.
“He's much improved,” Freeman said of Carr. “He's done a good job, as all three of them have. Blake [Hebert] has done a good job. They've all improved, and that's all you [can] ask of them — each of them to improve. Credit to their coach [QBs coach Gino Guidugli] and credit to them.”
Eli’s coming
With June-enrolling Arkansas tight end transfer Ty Washington taking in Saturday’s practice, the three scholarship tight ends on campus had a strong collective showing on Saturday, particularly senior Eli Raridon.
Among his highlights, Raridon caught a short completion from Minchey during the scrimmage and weaved his way more than 30 yards down inside the 10-yard line to set up an Aneyas Williams TD run.
“I'm not with Eli every day to see the work he’s put in, but what you see on the field is a guy that has put in the work necessary to perform probably better than he has in the past,” Freeman said. “You know, he's an older guy in the room, a guy that probably has more production or more plays than anyone — [Cooper Flanagan] is out right now.”
Mitchell Evans, ND’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons, has exhausted his eligibility. He had 43 catches for 421 yards last season with three TDs. Raridon had 11 catches for 90 yards and two TDs in a rotational role.
It’s been 2019 since an Irish tight end didn’t lead or share the team lead in receptions for a given season.
Could Raridon be the next in that lineage?
“I expect a lot out of him,” Freeman said. “We have, obviously, a big hole to fill with Mitch [Evans moving on]. And you think about Michael Mayer before that. And Eli has done a good job. I think his role will be bigger this year, and he's committed to it.”
A twist on the recruiting process
Freeman got a chance to live the recruiting experience from a different angle in recent months as his oldest son, Vinny, was pursued by some of the nation’s top wrestling programs.
The eldest of the six Freeman children verbally committed this past week to Cornell, a program that finished seventh in the most recent NCAA Championships, last month, and second the season before. Vinny is a junior at nearby Penn High School, is a three-time state meet qualifier and has fashioned a record of 101-17 in his first three high school seasons.
“I was intentional about making sure I kept the staff updated through what I was seeing as a father that could relate to our staff as recruiters,” Marcus Freeman said. “And I think, more importantly, when Vinny was saying he was ready to commit, I just want to know why. You know, tell me the reasons why.
“And I kind of shared with the staff some of the things that he said. We know these things, but it's a great reminder of what's important to young people, and what's important to their families and what they hear. And everybody's different.
“But one of the most important things is to figure out who's helping that person with the decision and what's important to them. One of the things that was important to Vinny was the people. He really viewed the people — the wrestlers, the recruits, the coaches — as he said to me, ‘I feel like they’re family.’
“And that's a great reminder for us, as coaches, we can sell Notre Dame. We can sell our football program. We can sell this university, but at the end of the day, the young people want relationships too. And that's a great reminder for us all.”
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
