Notre Dame Safety Xavier Watts Wins The Bronko Nagurski Trophy

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts was a breakout star for the Irish this season, and he has been awarded for his tremendous season by winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

This award goes to the best defensive player in college football and is decided by the Football Writers Association of America.

Watts was fourth on the Irish defense with 47 tackles this season, and he added 2.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. Where Watts made his biggest impact was forcing turnovers, as he led the nation with seven interceptions.

The Nebraska native had his national breakout performance against USC when he intercepted reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams twice, setting up touchdowns on both plays. He ended the scoring in that game with a touchdown of his own as he returned a fumble for a touchdown in the 48-20 win.

Watts picked off two more passes a week later in the 58-7 win over Pittsburgh. His final interception came against Clemson, and he returned that pick to the 2-yard line to set up an Irish score. 

In fact, all seven of his interceptions set up points for the Irish offense. Five of his picks were followed by offensive touchdowns for Notre Dame, and two more set up field goals.

Watts came to Notre Dame as a wide receiver, but in 2021 he moved to defense. After two seasons as a key rotation player, Watts started to emerge late in the 2022 season. He was expected to break out this season and he certainly did that, becoming one of the best players on one of the best defenses in college football.

Watts and former Notre Dame star Manti Te'o (2012) are the only Irish players to win this award.