When Xavier Watts was being recruited by Notre Dame as a wide receiver, he was used to having to deal with a safety or two in the secondary. As he gets set for his fourth year with the Irish, he now finds himself among the team’s safeties and hopes to finally emerge as an impact player.
The safety position isn’t foreign territory to Watts, but he’s still on a learning curve when it comes to all the nuances involved. Making his mark on the other side of the line is something that first emerged for him in 2021 when preseason injuries ravaged the linebacker spot.