Notre Dame Zeroing In On All-American Safety Transfer Brandon Joseph
Could Irish replace one All-American safety with another for 2022?
Notre Dame’s secondary is getting an infusion of talent with the class of 2022 and the commits in the class of 2023 but needs some more immediate help for the 2022 season – as evidenced in the Fiesta Bowl. It appears as though the Irish have zeroed in on one particular target in that area – former Northwestern All-American safety Brandon Joseph who entered the transfer portal last week. According to Blue & Gold Illustrated, Joseph is visiting Notre Dame this weekend.
With Kyle Hamilton off to the NFL and a string of poor recruiting classes at the safety position since Hamilton signed with the Irish in 2019, Notre Dame could use an impact player at the backend of the secondary. For six weeks, Notre Dame did a fine job of covering for the loss of Hamilton, but with a month to prepare, Oklahoma State finally exposed a secondary that was missing its eraser.
Brandon Joseph would undoubtedly fit the bill of an impact player. As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Joseph hauled in six interceptions in just nine games for the Wildcats, including one of the most ridiculous picks of the season on Justin Fields in the Big Ten Championship game.
Having a defensive back who can make that kind of plays against Ohio State sure would be an excellent addition for the season opener, wouldn’t it?
Joseph’s 2020 campaign also included 52 tackles and eight passes defended, earning him unanimous All-American honors in the process. His interception total fell off a bit in 2021 with 3 in 9 games, but that would still have been tied for the team lead for Notre Dame. He added 80 tackles with 1.5 for loss, including his first career sack. Joseph also dabbled as a punt returner, averaging 28.5 yards a return on four tries.
Because of the free COVID year in 2020, Joseph still has three years of eligibility remaining even though he will be a senior class-wise in 2022. Still, with that much remaining eligibility, it’s possible that he would provide help beyond 2022 for the Irish should he decide to transfer to Notre Dame after his visit.
Notre Dame did receive good news with the return of Houston Griffith for a 5th season earlier this week, but should Notre Dame land Joseph and get DJ Brown back in 2021, it will be interesting to see how the secondary shakes out.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
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