Leonard Moore, Drayk Bowen Named Phil Steele Preseason All-Americans

Notre Dame is once again expected to put one of the nation's best defenses on the field in 2025, and cornerback Leonard Moore and linebacker Drayk Bowen are two key reasons for that. Those two defensive standouts were named preseason All-American players by Phil Steele.

Moore has been a consensus first-team preseason All-American so far, so him being included on the first team from Phil Steele was expected. The Texas native was thrust into the starting lineup last season when star cornerback Benjamin Morrison went down with a season-ending hip injury, and Moore's play was a big reason for the Irish defense being one of the best pass units in the country.

Moore had racked up 48 tackles, broke up 11 passes, picked off two passes and forced two fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, Moore held opponents to a 46.4-percent completion rate. He played a major role in locking down Penn State's receivers in the Orange Bowl, with the Irish secondary holding the Nittany Lion wideouts to zero catches in the 27-24 Notre Dame win.

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Bowen was also a first-year starter in 2024, but he earned that spot at the start of the season. He was tasked with replacing three-year starter and team captain JD Bertrand, and Bowen handled that job quite well. The Indiana native racked up 78 tackles, four tackles for loss, forced three fumbles and broke up two seasons in his first season in the starting lineup.

By the end of the season Bowen wasn't just a playmaker for the defense, he had emerged as a leader of that unit as well. Bowen played some of his best football in the post season. He racked up 22 tackles in the final three games, which included wins over Georgia and Penn State, and a title game loss to Ohio State.

Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis was the only Notre Dame opponent to earn a spot on the Phil Steele All-America squad on defense. He was named a first team linebacker by the magazine.