Notre Dame lands Northwestern safety transfer Brandon Joseph
Notre Dame is replacing one All-American safety with another.
The Irish have secured a commitment from Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph, who announced Saturday he will continue his career in South Bend. He has three seasons of eligibility left and will enroll in classes at Notre Dame for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 10.
Joseph made 80 tackles (1.5 for loss), broke up four passes and grabbed three interceptions in 2021.
His breakout season was a year earlier, though, in his first year as a starter following a redshirt season. Joseph tied for the national lead with six interceptions despite playing just nine games, made 52 tackles (1.0 for loss) and had two pass breakups. Opponents threw at him 24 times and completed just eight of those passes, per Pro Football Focus. He was a consensus All-American and a first-team Associated Press All-Big Ten selection.
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Joseph is just the third undergraduate transfer to choose Notre Dame since 2010 and first since former Navy safety Alohi Gilman in 2017. Former USC wide receiver Amir Carlisle (transferred in 2012) is the other.
Notre Dame has upped its portal activity the last couple years, but all six transfers it brought in the last two offseasons were graduate students. The Irish rarely explored the undergraduate route in Brian Kelly‘s 12-year tenure. First-year head coach Marcus Freeman, though, seems willing to give it a deeper probe.
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“We’re always looking to enhance our team and always looking to find a better way,” Freeman said in December. “Challenge everything. If there’s better way, a person who can enhance our roster, we’re going to investigate for sure. But as I told the coaching staff and told the players, we will never bring someone into his program who’s not the right fit.”
Joseph’s background and Notre Dame’s need at his position makes him a logical target. Like Carlisle and Gilman, he also comes from a well-regarded academic institution, which could ease the process of transferring credits.
Related: Friday 5: Assessing fits and needs as Marcus Freeman fills out first Notre Dame coaching staff
Notre Dame two-time All-American safety Kyle Hamilton declared for the NFL Draft in December, opening one starter spot. The other starter, Houston Griffith, announced he is returning as a super senior next year. Part-time starter and key backup DJ Brown can return for a fifth year if he wants. The Irish also have a pair of sophomores, Ramon Henderson and Xavier Watts, who moved to safety in November and left overall positive impressions in their playing time.
Brown, Griffith, Henderson and Watts held their own after Hamilton’s Oct. 23 knee that ultimately ended his college career. In all, they’re a fine group. Joseph could make it a strong one.
Joseph was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class out of College Station (Texas) High, and the On3 Consensus ranked him as the No. 1,036 player in the cycle. He initially committed to Texas Tech before flipping to Northwestern in December 2018. He entered the transfer portal Dec. 30.
