Notre Dame lands All-American safety transfer

Notre Dame is losing All-American safety Kyle Hamilton to the NFL, but they are replacing him with another defensive back of the same caliber.

On Saturday, the Irish landed former Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph. The Texas native has two full years of playing time under his belt, and he accumulated 79 tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions, a sack and a fumble recovery in 2021.

Joseph earned All-American status in 2020, notching six interceptions in just nine games, which led Power Five players. The 6-foot-1 safety also had 52 tackles and a couple of defended passes. In addition to All-American status, Joseph was named first-team all-Big Ten and Big Ten Newcomer of the Year.

“Notre Dame came after me pretty hard the first day I entered the transfer portal,” Joseph told Mike Singer of Blue and Gold. “I was on the phone with Coach [Marcus] Freeman right away. From then, I knew it was the right spot for me. He told me that there are 18 starters returning, and they were the No. 5 team in the county. For a team of that caliber, all you need to do is replace a few pieces. I feel like it’s a perfect spot for me to go in and be a piece of the puzzle. I want to take this team to a national championship.”

Prior to heading to Evanston, Joseph was the No. 103 safety in the 2019 class and the No. 1,036 player overall according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. His only Power Five offer from a Texas school was Texas Tech.

The safety has three years of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 blanket waiver given to all players in 2020. Joseph is reportedly visiting Notre Dame this weekend.

Joseph will feel right at home for Notre Dame’s first game, as the Irish head to Columbus Labor Day Weekend for a matchup against Ohio State. Northwestern’s most recent game against Ohio State was the 2020 Big Ten Championship Game, a contest in which Joseph caught one of the best interceptions of the 2020 season.

“I’m coming here on a mission to take this team exactly where y’all want to go,” Joseph said in a message to Notre Dame fans. “To Irish nation, I’m here, and I’m ready to put my head down and get to work. Off the field, I’m ready to represent the Notre Dame name. I’m going to hold myself to the highest standard.”

Amazing play by Northwestern's Brandon Joseph 😱 pic.twitter.com/wS7aFUJtN8

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 19, 2020

Undergraduate transfers not commonplace for Irish

While the Irish have utilized the transfer portal to notch graduate transfers in recent years — quarterback Jack Coan being the prime example — they have rarely pulled in transfers still completing their undergraduate degrees. Fellow safety and former Navy player Alohi Gilman is the most recent example. He made the move in 2017, and it worked out well for both parties. Gilman was a team captain at Notre Dame, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and remains on the active roster for the Los Angeles Chargers with 37 tackles and an interception this season.

The fact that new head coach Marcus Freeman pulled a safety out of the portal is unsurprising given Notre Dame’s issues in the secondary this season. After a good first half in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State on Jan. 1, the Cowboys shredded Notre Dame in the final 30 minutes. Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders threw for a season-high 371 yards. He had previously eclipsed the 300-yard mark just once all season.

Notre Dame’s returning scholarship safeties include Houston Griffith, KJ Wallace, Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson and Justin Walters.They have recruited very well — 2022 signee Jayden Bellamy in the No. 6 safety in the nation according to On3 Consensus, and they landed No. 8 safety Peyton Bowen in the 2023 class last week — but having an elite and experienced player like Joseph should help immensely in the interim.