Notre Dame football star gets run among nation's best returning CBs

When it comes to the Notre Dame football team this past season, the talk of South Bend focused on the defense far more than the offense, at least when the talk was of a positive nature. Al Golden’s unit was among the best in the country from the first week of the season on.

Quite a bit has been made of the number of players that are returning to that very unit. Especially in the secondary. While Xavier Watts is getting the most press, it would be folly to forget that Benjamin Morrison is returning to patrol the Fighting Irish secondary as well.

It’s not just Notre Dame football fans that think Morrison is going to be a massive asset in 2024 either. Pro Football Focus put out their list on social media of the best returning defensive backs in the country. Morrison was included in that list.

Alongside the Fighting Irish defender, Louisville’s Quincy Riley, Ohio State’s Denzel Burke, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, Nebraska’s Tommi Hill, Washington’s Jabbar Muhammed, and Michigan’s Will Johnson were also mentioned on the list.

As an aside, it’s worth noting that Notre Dame football went head-to-head with a third of the defensive backs on the list. While the Irish offense was often maligned at times in 2023, perhaps the talent it faced on played a part in Sam Hartman’s struggles after all.

Notre Dame football defensive back named among best returning players in the country

One of the more exciting aspects of Morrison’s 2023 season is that it was a continuation of a phenomenal freshman year. While he had less interceptions in 2023 compared to 2022 (3 compared to 6) he was a better all around defender as witnessed by his 10 passes defended.

Morrison recorded nearly the same number of tackles, 31 compared to 33 the season before. All of that would seem to indicate that the Notre Dame football star is consistently good and is also ready to take the next step in 2024.