Transfer Portal: Former Notre Dame S Ramon Henderson commits to UCLA
Former Notre Dame safety Ramon Henderson has transferred to UCLA, the Bruins announced Wednesday afternoon. He’ll spend his final year of eligibility as a graduate student in Westwood, Calif., just under 2 hours from his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif.
Henderson is the second Irish transfer to commit to UCLA and head coach Chip Kelly, following rising sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. Former Notre Dame defensive back K.J. Wallace, who played at Notre Dame from 2019-21 before transferring to Georgia Tech for the past two seasons, will play for the Bruins in 2024 as well.
Henderson totaled 14 tackles, forced a fumble, recovered 2 fumbles, broke up 3 passes and recorded 1 interception in 2023. He played primarily in Notre Dame’s “spear” package, with three safeties on the field at the same time.
The Irish put Henderson on the field for 304 snaps this past season, most often as a deep safety but sometimes in the box or the slot. His interception came in Week 1 against Tennessee State, when he dove to intercept an errant Tigers pass. He only started one game for the Irish: a Week 3 win over Central Michigan.
As the nearest coverage defender, Henderson was targeted 22 times. He allowed receptions on 16 of them, giving up 184 yards and no touchdowns. He also scored a touchdown on a muffed punt that he recovered in the end zone Oct. 28 against Pittsburgh. He played considerable snaps on kickoff coverage and punt return as well.
When he committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 19, 2019, Henderson was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 679 player in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking and the No. 55 player in the state of California.
Notre Dame liked using Henderson in that spear package, but it’s reasonable to assume that the Irish did not see him as a starting-caliber player. He rarely played near the line of scrimmage, and senior safety Xavier Watts occupies the single-high safety role in South Bend. Henderson leaves with a Notre Dame degree in hand and a much better opportunity for playing time on a defense that is looking to build on an excellent year.
UCLA was the 14th-best scoring defense in college football, allowing only 18.38 points per game.
In Henderson’s place, Notre Dame brought in defensive back Rod Heard II from Northwestern. Rising sophomores Adon Shuler, Ben Minich and Luke Talich should have a chance to compete for snaps in the spear package as well.
