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Notre Dame safety Justin Walters medically retires from football

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel•03/22/23•

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Notre Dame safety Justin Walters (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The window for Notre Dame sophomore safety Justin Walters to push for playing time figured to open wider after the 2022 season, especially if he could make another year behind the scenes a productive one. He had a trait that position coach Chris O’Leary liked and a specific area to develop.

“He plays in space well,” O’Leary said in August. “His area he needs to improve on is coverage. I’m confident he will get there.”

Injuries, though, will prevent him from reaching that point.

Walters has medically retired after two seasons at Notre Dame, head coach Marcus Freeman announced Wednesday. He appeared in four games this year, all on special teams. An unknown injury kept him out of uniform for the final seven regular-season games and the Gator Bowl. He saw action in four contests in 2021, preserving a redshirt.

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All told, Walters made 4 tackles in two seasons at Notre Dame. He played 24 special teams snaps this season, all of which came on kickoff teams and punt return. He logged 69 snaps on special teams in 2021, playing on kick return, kickoff, punt return and punt coverage units. He did not see a snap on defense in two seasons with the Irish.

Walters was a three-star recruit in the 2021 class out of Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School. He committed to Notre Dame in February 2020 and was an early enrollee.

With Walters’ retirement, both of Notre Dame’s safety signees from the 2021 class have entered the transfer portal. Khari Gee transferred to Georgia Tech after one season at Notre Dame. Notre Dame did not sign a safety in the 2020 class, but moved wide receiver Xavier Watts and cornerback Ramon Henderson to safety midway through the 2021 season.

Notre Dame’s safety unit lost grad student Houston Griffith (out of eligibility) and senior Brandon Joseph (NFL Draft) from the 2022 group. Grad student DJ Brown returned for a sixth season. Watts, Henderson, Brown and Oklahoma State grad transfer Thomas Harper headline Notre Dame’s safety unit in 2023, though Harper is also expected to help at nickel.

The Irish signed two true safeties in the 2023 class who enrolled in January: Irvington (N.J.) four-star Adon Shuler and Cincinnati Lakota West four-star Ben Minich. Shuler is the No. 294 player in the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking, and Minich 303. Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland four-star athlete Brandyn Hillman (No. 206) was likely to start his career at safety upon June arrival, but he was released from his letter of intent earlier in March.

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