Xavier Watts

Former safety at Notre Dame. 2024: 6 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, 83 tackles.

S · Notre Dame · Sr.

6′0″ · 203 lb · Omaha, NE

CFB Index 95 · #2 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceConsensus AAAtlanta — drafted 2025, Rd 3, Pick 32, #96 overall

Recruiting

4★

WR recruit

No. 384 nationally · Signed with Burke

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Notre Dame. 2024: 6 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, 83 tackles.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Burke in 2020.
Drafted round 3 by the Atlanta in 2025.
Named All-America (AFCA) in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Notre Dame, 181 tackles, a Consensus All-American season (2023) — drafted at #96 overall by Atlanta.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

2020

Recruited4-star out of Burke

202312 games

All-Americafirst · 12 selectors
Nagurskiwinner

202416 games

All-America12 selectors

2025

Drafted by Atlantaround 3, pick 96

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#384 national

CFB

College

Notre Dame

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R3 · #96

Atlanta · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

23 honors · 1 category

🏆

ALL-AMERICA · CONSENSUS

Consensus AA (2024)

10 first-team selectors

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021

Brian Kelly

Notre Dame

2022–2024

Marcus Freeman

Notre Dame

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Brian Kelly → Marcus Freeman. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

AtlantaEntering 2nd NFL season

#96Rd 3 · Pick 32

AtlantaEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Notre Dame11-2HC: Brian Kelly · Balanced

2022Notre Dame9-4HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-heavy

2023Notre Dame10-3HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning, slow tempo

2024Notre Dame14-2HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

95All-America level #2 of 537?

Medium confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: interceptions (100th percentile). Strength: passes defended (98th percentile). Concern: sacks (25th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Interceptions#2 / 862 · 100th pct

Passes defended#38 / 2892 · 98th pct

Solo tackles#48 / 2892 · 98th pct

Tackles#122 / 2892 · 96th pct

QB hurries#255 / 2892 · 89th pct

Tackles for loss#900 / 2892 · 66th pct

3.5

Forced fumbles#55 / 700 · 46th pct

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 16 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home9g	5.0	0.3	0.0	0.7
Road7g	5.4	0.1	0.0	0.4

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-710g	5.5	0.2	0.0	0.5
Weeks 8+6g	4.7	0.2	0.0	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Marcus Freeman

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Consensus All-American

First team on a majority of the recognized selector lists.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

95 · #2 of 537 safeties

Former four-star. Now #2 at the position.

Selector Grid · 2024

AP—

FWAA—

AFCA—

WCFF—

SN—

SI—

Named Consensus All-American — recognized on 3+ of the 5 NCAA-recognized selector lists.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Notre Dame	83	53	3.5	0.0	9	6	--
2023	Notre Dame	47	28	3.0	0.5	3	7	--
2022	Notre Dame	36	22	2.0	1.0	2	--	--
2021	Notre Dame	15	11	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		181	114	8.5	1.5	14	13	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 20 · 2024

W 27–24

at Penn State

8 TOT · 5 SOLO

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 3 on the road.

With R. Leonard — 223 yds · 1 TD · 2 INT · QBR 80.3 · 35 rush yds (18 car) · 1 TD · J. Rendell — 39 AVG · 4 IN 20 · 44 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 16 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 23-13@ Texas A&M	3	2	0.0	1	0	Season-high 10 tackles
Wk 2	L 14-16vs Northern Illinois	8	6	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	W 66-7@ Purdue	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 28-3vs Miami (OH)	3	3	0.0	—	2
Wk 5	W 31-24vs Louisville	3	2	0.0	1	2
Wk 7	W 49-7vs Stanford	3	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	W 31-13@ Georgia Tech	4	2	0.0	1	1
Wk 9	W 51-14@ Navy	5	1	0.0	—	1
Wk 11	W 52-3vs Florida State	4	3	1.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 35-14vs Virginia	3	1	0.0	1	1
Wk 13	W 49-14vs Army	3	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	W 49-35@ USC	9	6	0.0	1	1
Bowl	W 27-17vs Indiana	10	5	0.5	1	0
Bowl	W 23-10@ Georgia	7	6	1.0	—	0
Bowl	W 27-24@ Penn State	8	5	0.0	—	0
Bowl	L 23-34vs Ohio State	8	6	1.0	—	1
Total		83	53	3.5	6	9

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Xavier Watts

2020

202312 games

202416 games

2025

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Consensus All-American

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Rover

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