Notre Dame football's defense is running it back.

Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills, Jack Kiser and now safety Xavier Watts have all decided to return in 2024 for the Irish in head coach Marcus Freeman's third season. Watts, who won the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, was eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft and made his decision public on Saturday via a post on X/Twitter.

The 5-foot-11, 204-pound Watts started all 13 games for the Irish this season and finished his senior campaign with 52 tackles, a nation-high seven interceptions, 11 passes defended, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble. Under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Al Golden and safeties coach Chris O'Leary, Watts was named a unanimous All-American.

Watts originally signed with the Irish as a wide receiver in the 2020 recruiting class. The former three-star recruit out of Omaha (Neb.) Burke switched positions early in his career and became a starter for O'Leary in the final four games of 2022.

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According to Pro Football Focus, Watts led the defense with 708 snaps played. He earned a 74.3 overall defensive grade from PFF with his best grades coming as a pass-rusher (78.3) and in pass coverage (75.9).

Over his four-year career, Watts has appeared in 39 games and totaled 106 tackles including 65 solo and five for loss. Safety DJ Brown, who started next to Watts at safety this season, has exhausted his eligibility, leaving Watts as the lone returning starter at safety.

After losing reserve safeties Ramon Henderson and Antonio Carter II to the transfer portal, O'Leary will have Adon Shuler, Ben Minich and preferred walk-on Luke Talich as returnees in 2024. The Irish also signed safeties Brauntae Johnson, Kennedy Urlacher and Taebron Bennie-Powell in their 2024 recruiting class. Urlacher will enroll in January while Johnson and Bennie-Powell plan to arrive in June.

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