Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts earned First-Team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for the second consecutive season, it was announced on Friday. The graduate safety is the first Irish player to repeat as an AFCA First-Team All-American since defensive back Todd Lyght earned the distinction in 1989 and 1990.
All-American Honors Announced for Xavier Watts
Watts has been named a Walter Camp First-Team All-American for the second straight season. As well as, being named a First-Team All-American by The Athletic and Pro Football Focus. Announcements are still coming from the Associated Press, The Sporting News, and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
Named Notre Dame’s Defensive Player of the Year for 2024, Watts was named a semifinalist for the 2024 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and the 2024 Lott IMPACT Trophy. All told, Watts has 12 career interceptions, the most by an Irish player since 1996. He is the 19th Notre Dame player to intercept 10 or more passes. That is tied for eighth on the all-time list for career interceptions in program history.
This season, Watts has snagged five interceptions, ranking third in the nation. Among them was a highlight-reel 100-yard pick-six to help the Irish pull away from USC. He ranks 12th in the country in passes defended (1.2 per game). Watts also has 49 tackles, nice pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
In-State Battle Looms for Xavier Watts, Irish
The ball-hawking Xavier Watts and the rest of the Fighting Irish (11-1) get this season’s 12-team College Football Playoff underway on Friday. Notre Dame will host in-state rival Indiana (11-1) in South Bend. The game is at 8 p.m. EST and will air on ABS/ESPN.
Notre Dame will be taking on the No. 1 team in the country in pass efficiency led by quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Something will have to give, as Notre Dame is first in team passing efficiency defense. The Irish rank fourth in the country in passing yards allowed (157.9) and ninth in total defense. The unit was fifth in the latter category last season. If Notre Dame concludes the 2024 season in the top 10 in that category, it will mark the first time the Irish will rank that high in consecutive seasons since Ara Parseghian’s team in 1973 and ’74.
Al Golden A Finalist for Broyles Award
Appropriately enough, Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Al Golden is one of five finalists for the Broyles Award. The award is given to the best assistant coach in college football. The other finalists are Marcus Arroyo, offensive coordinator at Arizona State, and Tim Banks, defensive coordinator at Tennessee. As well as Bryan Haines, Indiana’s defensive coordinator, and Texas’s Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.
Notre Dame’s defense this season has been dominant under Golden. The unit, which is also led by Rylie Mills and Jack Kiser, ranks among the top FBS teams. The Irish are first in turnovers gained (28), first in defensive touchdowns (6), third in scoring defense (13.6), and fourth in interceptions (17). The Notre Dame defense held seven opponents to 125 or fewer passing yards this season. That is the most among all FBS programs during the regular season. Golden’s stubborn squad held opponents to 250 or a few yards of offense in six games in 2024. That ties for the second-most in FBS.
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