Six days until Notre Dame football: How many INTs will Benjamin Morrison get?

BlueandGold.com will release a countdown article highlighting a significant Fighting Irish football statistic every day until the 2023 Notre Dame season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 26. Today, there are six days until the Fighting Irish and Midshipmen kick off at Aviva Stadium.

Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison had six interceptions in 2022, the most an Irish player has had in a single season since linebacker Manti Te’o had seven in 2012. If you had to choose who’s going to lead the team in INTs in 2023, it’d be a stretch to pick anybody other than Morrison.

That said, it’s also difficult to envision Morrison matching his freshman year total of six.

The local media in South Bend was allowed to watch an entire Notre Dame practice on Aug. 8. There was a good amount of 11-on-11 reps, ones vs. ones. Morrison wasn’t thrown at once. That one practice could have foreshadowed what’s to come for Morrison this fall. Every opponent’s scouting report is going to have his name on it in big, bold letters at the top.

As long as graduate student corner Cam Hart stays healthy, though, opponents are going to have to pick their poison. In Hart, recently named a team captain, and Morrison, Notre Dame might have one of the best cornerback duos in the country.

Morrison is more than one-third of the way to the all-time Notre Dame interception record of 18 set by Luther Bradley from 1973-77. The record for interceptions returned for touchdowns in Irish history is three, so Morrison is exactly one-third of the way there, too. Shane Walton (1999-2002), Allen Rossum (1994-97), Bobby Leopold (1976-78) and Tom Schoen (1965-67) all had three pick sixes in their Irish careers.

Morrison’s six INTs last year went for 97 yards, 96 of which came on his touchdown vs. Clemson. Dave Duerson holds the all-time Notre Dame record for INT return yards with 256.

It’s too soon to talk records for Morrison bearing in mind he might not get thrown at enough to keep racking up big numbers. It also might be too late, in a way. Cornerbacks are hot commodities in the NFL these days, and if Morrison proves over the next two seasons to be an elite corner in college football — even if he doesn’t ever match the six-INT total again — he could be talked about as an early-round draft pick in 2025 following his junior season.

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