The Walter Camp Football Foundation has released its 2024 Preseason All-America teams that feature four University of Notre Dame football student-athletes. Senior defensive back Xavier Watts and senior defensive tackle Howard Cross III were selected to the first team, while junior defensive back Benjamin Morrison and senior kick returner Jayden Harrison earned second-team honors.
Watts and Harrison were first-team Walter Camp All-Americans in 2023, while Cross III was named to the second team.
Xavier Watts
The 2023 Bronko Nagurski Awardwinner as the nation’s best defensive player, Watts led the nation in interceptions in ‘23 with seven and established himself as one of the best playmaking safeties in the country. He is the first Notre Dame player to post back-to-back games with multiple interceptions and just the fifth FBS player to do so in the last five seasons. Watts also became the first Notre Dame player to intercept a pass in three consecutive games this year.
A two-time national defensive player of the week in 2023, Watts earned his first award after dominating the game against No. 6 Southern Cal on October 14. He piled up seven tackles, intercepted reigning Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams two times, forced a fumble and also recovered a different fumble and returned it for a touchdown.
He followed up the Southern Cal performance with two more interceptions in the victory over Pittsburgh. All seven of Watts’ interceptions this season have led directly to Notre Dame points including five touchdowns.
Watts finished the season fifth on the Notre Dame team with 47 tackles, which included 2.5 TFL, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. His 137 interception return yards are the second-most at Notre Dame since 1996 (Julian Love, 2017, 153).
Howard Cross III
A Bednarik Award semifinalist, Cross III announced his status as a premiere defensive player in the country during the come-from-behind battle at No. 17 Duke on September 30. Leading the Irish with 13 tackles, Cross III also forced two fumbles (including the game-clinching fumble with 0:27 remaining) and claimed national defensive player of the week honors from Walter Camp, the Bednarik Award and the Senior Bowl.
The Duke game was not the only standout performance by Cross III this season. He piled up seven tackles at No. 25 Louisville, seven more at Clemson and added nine more stops in the home finale against Wake Forest. His 64 tackles this season tie him for the lead among all Power 5 defensive lineman and he is one of just eight FBS front-four defensive players to post 60 or more tackles this season.
Finally, Cross III’s 64 stops this season are the most for an Irish defensive lineman since Trevor Laws stacked up a remarkable 112 tackles in 2007. The 64 tackles are the 13th-best for a front-four Irish defensive lineman since 1986.
Benjamin Morrison
A Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2023, Morrison is among the most experienced and talented cornerbacks returning to FBS in 2024. In 25 games over the past two seasons, the Phoenix, Arizona, native has intercepted nine passes, including six during his rookie season in 2022, while adding 64 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. A unanimous Freshman All-American in 2022 Morrison followed up in 2023 by leading the team with 10 pass break ups and collecting three more interceptions.
Jayden Harrison
Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, finishing second in the country with a 30.7 yards-per-return average. He tied for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023.
Throughout his career Harrison has returned 60 kickoffs for 1,522 yards (25.4 yards per return average) and three touchdowns while catching 71 passes for 779 yards and four scores.