Cross III, Watts named Associated Press preseason first-team All-American
SOUTH BEND – The Associated Press has included four Notre Dame football student-athletes on its 2024 Preseason All-America teams. Graduate defensive lineman Howard Cross III and senior safety Xavier Watts were selected to the first team, while junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison and senior tight end Mitchell Evans earned second-team honors.
Watts was a first-team AP All-American in 2023, while Cross III earned selection to the second team.
Cross piled up 66 stops in 2023, which ranked second among all Power 5 front-four defensive linemen. This 2024 preseason, he has earned selection to watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Outland Trophy, and the Nagurski Trophy.
A Bednarik Award semifinalist, Cross III announced his status as a premiere defensive player in the country during the come-from-behind battle at No. 17 Duke on September 30. Leading the Irish with 13 tackles, Cross III also forced two fumbles (including the game-clinching fumble with 0:27 remaining) and claimed national defensive player of the week honors from Walter Camp, the Bednarik Award, and the Senior Bowl. Cross III earned Second Team All-America honors from FWAA, Walter Camp, the Associated Press, and The Sporting News in 2023.
A 2023 Unanimous All-American and Nagurski Trophy winner, Watts enters 2024 as one of the preeminent defensive backs in college football. He has already been named to watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy, the Walter Camp Player of the Year, and the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award. In 2023, he tied for the national lead with seven interceptions, averaging an interception every other game.
Watts played and started in all 13 games during the season, finishing with 52 tackles, 30 solo, three tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks, adding four pass breakups. He forced a fumble and recovered a fumble, returning it for a touchdown. Watts’ seven interceptions led to 33 total Notre Dame points on the subsequent drives.
Also selected to the preseason watch list for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award and the Bednarik Award, Morrison led the Irish with 10 pass breakups in 2023, recording 31 tackles (25 solo). Morrison also intercepted three passes on the season. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2022 as one of the late-season breakout stars of college football, picking off two interceptions and returning one 96 yards for a touchdown in Notre Dame’s 35-14 romp over No. 5 Clemson.
Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. He played in eight games as a junior, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Through those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch.
