Leonard Moore Is Named A Freshman All-American

Notre Dame freshman cornerback Leonard Moore has been an outstanding player for the Fighting Irish in his first season with the team, and he still has one more chance to build on his first-year resume. Notre Dame will be counting on Moore to play well in the national championship game against Ohio state.

No matter what happens in the game on Monday night, Moore's excellent this season won't change, and that excellent earned him a spot on the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team.

The Texas native made a strong impression when he arrived during the summer and he worked himself into the two-deep when the season started. He got his first extensive action in the 66-7 win over Purdue and earned his first start in the 31-24 win over Louisville as a replacement for Christian Gray. Gray returned the next game and Moore was back into a rotation spot, but he was reinserted into the starting lineup against Georgia Tech after 2022 FWAA Freshman All-America cornerback Benjamin Morrison was lost for the season.

Moore had a strong performance in the win over Louisville, with his biggest moment coming when he stripped quarterback Tyler Slough, which set up a Notre Dame score that gave them the lead. He was even better when he took over for Morrison. All 10 of Moore's pass break ups and both interceptions came after being inserted into the starting lineup in October. USC tried to test Moore in their season finale, but the rookie stepped up and had a big time, giving up just two completions on 10 targets while breaking up a career-best five passes. Penn State was clearly impressed with what they saw from Moore on film, which resulted in the Nittany Lions deciding not to target him much in that Irish victory.

The Notre Dame freshman heads into the national title game with 43 tackles, 10 pass break ups, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Moore will find himself matched up against another Freshman All-American in the matchup against Ohio State when he squares off against wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

Notre Dame faced four other Freshman All-Americans during the 2024 season. USC offensive tackle Elijah Paige, Georgia safety KJ Bolden, Florida State kick returner Samuel Singleton and Louisville running back Isaac Brown (All Purpose) all made the squad.