Former Notre Dame star Xavier Watts shows deep admiration for former DC Al Golden amidst questions about potential reunion
Over the last two seasons, former Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts was a foundational player for the Fighting Irish. During that stretch, the Omaha, Nebraska native was named an All-American in consecutive seasons. Watts was able to record 134 total tackles, 13 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. A […]
Over the last two seasons, former Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts was a foundational player for the Fighting Irish. During that stretch, the Omaha, Nebraska native was named an All-American in consecutive seasons. Watts was able to record 134 total tackles, 13 interceptions, 14 pass breakups, nine tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles.
A big reason for Watts’ ascension as a player was his opportunity to work under defensive coordinator Al Golden. Now that Coach Golden is a member of the Cincinnati Bengals team again, he is pressed to rebuild a very underwhelming defensive unit. You can bet the 2025 NFL Draft will be a big part of that rebuilding process.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Watts spoke to the media about Coach Golden. He spoke praises about his former coach, and his experience playing under him.
“Coach Golden, he’s a very, very caring coach,” Watts told the media. “When a guy gets that much care from a coach and they put in that much effort, you want to go out there and play for them.”
The former Notre Dame star admitted that he hadn’t met with the Bengals while in Indianapolis. That isn’t overly surprising considering that Golden already has deep knowledge about what Watts can bring to the table. If anything, that would have been somewhat of a waste of time.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Watts head to Cincinnati for a Top-30 visit. Those visits are usually much larger indicators of actual interest.
Safeties are certainly a massive need for the Bengals this offseason. While Jordan Battle, Geno Stone, and Vonn Bell bring some name recognition, none of them were good enough to go into the season uncontested. Watts’ combination of football IQ and ball skills would be tremendous as Golden’s system gets installed.