Junior Ramon Henderson’s path to the back end of Notre Dame’s secondary was not a direct one. At the very least, there was a zig and a zag that led him there. At 6-1 and 183 pounds coming out of high school, Henderson was recruited to Notre Dame with the chance to give the Irish secondary a physical presence at cornerback. Now going into his third season, Henderson continues to adapt to playing safety. Henderson had never played safety until after Kyle Hamilton went down with a season-ending knee injury last season in an Oct. 23 win over Southern Cal. He missed Notre Dame’s final six games of the season, which led to Henderson’s own opportunity. “He has a much better command of what we’re doing on defense, how to fit the run game,” Irish safeties coach Chris O’Leary said of Henderson. “I didn’t even know that he knew what a run fit was when he came over last year, but he could fit the box. He understands the checks. He’s put himself in better positions down the field.” It’s been a rapid transition for the Bakersfield, Calif native. He started Notre Dame’s last four games of 2021, beginning with the Nov. 13 game at Virginia. He had four tackles and his first career interception in the 28-3 win over the Cavaliers. He later matched that career best tackle total in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.”From Virginia to Oklahoma State that was a jump in comfortability,” Henderson explained. “But I’d say there’s a bigger jump now. We do this stuff every day for hours and hours.” The competition at safety is primarily between Henderson, Houston Griffith and DJ Brown to play next to Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph. The competition between Henderson and his veteran teammates has been close, but they have also managed to stay close as a unit. “Obviously, I believe we all think we’re better than each other,” Henderson said. “That’s fun. They think they’re better than me, I think I’m better than them. It’s healthy. We all clap for each other, we all pat each other on the backs. But (on) the same day, we’re trying to be the best player that day. I give them pointers, they give me pointers. We’re a close, tight-knit position group and we all have each other’s back all the time.” Joseph’s coverage skills make him most suited for the field safety role. That’s where Hamilton played last year and where Henderson played late in the season. He is continuing to hone the skills to let him excel on the boundary, now. “Before, I was only playing field, because I never knew the boundary,” Henderson explained. “During the off-season, my biggest thing was I need to learn what the boundary does, and it’s not really that hard. You have to think opposite of the field. The only thing that really becomes hard is you’re running tempo. They get a big pass, you run down, and you have to flip sides for the play. That’s the hardest thing.” No matter who fills the spot, there will be plenty of experience. Griffith started all 13 games last season, Brown played in all 13 games and Henderson played in all 13 games (mostly special teams early), with starts in the last four contests. Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions LoungeIrish Breakdown ContentNotre Dame 2022 Roster
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