Notre Dame hosting former Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph for visit
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman minces no words when discussing his aim in recruiting: shoot as high as possible and target the best.
That was the standard he set for himself last year upon his hiring as defensive coordinator and reaffirmed when he was promoted in December.
It apparently applies to the transfer portal too. Freeman and Notre Dame identified one of the most accomplished players in the portal and made him a priority. Now, they’ll host him on campus.
Former Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph, a two-year starter and 2020 All-American, will visit Notre Dame this weekend, a source confirmed to BlueandGold.com. The visit was finalized Thursday morning. Joseph entered the transfer portal on Dec. 30 after three seasons with the Wildcats. He is eligible immediately and has three years left to play.
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Joseph (6-1, 192 pounds) made 80 tackles and had three interceptions in 2021, along with 1.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He returned four punts for 114 yards.
His 2020 season was even stronger. Joseph was a consensus All-American, earning first-team honors from the AFCA, Associated Press and Sporting News. He was a first-team AP All-Big Ten Selection as well. He made 52 tackles (1.0 for loss), broke up two passes and grabbed six interceptions, which tied for the FBS lead. He allowed catches on just eight of his 24 targets, per Pro Football Focus.
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Northwestern went 7-2 and won the Big Ten West Division in 2020. With Joseph as a defensive anchor, the Wildcats led the country in opponent passer rating (95.27) and yards per attempt (5.2). They tied for fourth in opponent completion rate (51.9 percent) and tied for ninth in interceptions (14).
Notre Dame has increased its portal activity in recent years and has pulled in six graduate transfers since 2020, including a pair of 2021 starters in quarterback Jack Coan and guard Cain Madden. Five of those six have turned into starters or regular contributors. All proved to be net positives in filling holes and bridging gaps for a year.
Joseph is an undergrad transfer, an avenue Notre Dame has rarely explored and a designation that makes him potentially more than a one-year piece. The Irish have taken just two non-graduate transfers since 2010: wide receiver Amir Carlisle (USC, 2012) and safety Alohi Gilman (Navy, 2017).
Joseph was a three-star recruit in the 2019 class out of College Station (Texas) High and the No. 1,036 overall player, per the On3 Consensus. He was previously committed to Texas Tech before changing his pledge to Northwestern in December 2018.
Notre Dame begins spring semester classes on Jan. 10.
