Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1515937
50 MARCH 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY KYLE KELLY C asey Carr may not always be great at judging first impressions, at least when meeting potential future high- profile recruits. When the Round Rock (Texas) High assistant coach met 2024 class corner- back Leonard Moore before his sopho- more season, Carr saw a small, skinny player with questionable speed and only a Tulsa offer. He was not a three-star cornerback who finished the 2024 cycle as On3's No. 41 cornerback nationally and No. 70 prospect in Texas, and he was certainly not a Notre Dame football signee. Then, he saw Moore on the field. "He started making a few plays in the 7-on-7 setting that we had," Carr told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "After being around him throughout that year, he grew tremendously. He always had a high football IQ — probably the best I've been around. "Seeing him where he is now — filled out, tall and a student of the game — it's been crazy. … He's the only person I've met that I wholeheartedly believe will play on Sundays [in the NFL]." Moore did experience a few hiccups during his sophomore season. Eventu- ally, he found his stride and received eight Power Five scholarship offers in the offseason. As a junior, he completely broke out. Despite facing 282 pass coverage snaps, the 6-foot-2, 175-pounder al- lowed only 3 catches. He had just as many interceptions and 4 pass break- ups, making the job of the program's secondary coach, Carr, much easier. "Knowing that you have a guy like Leonard on one side who can com- pletely shut down somebody allows you to play more of your guys to the other side of the field," he said. "He helped bump coverage over to the other side, and we left him alone to lock somebody down." Irish cornerbacks coach Mike Mick- e n s d i scove re d Mo o re a b o u t two months after his junior season ended. On Jan. 18, 2023, he offered the emerg- ing cornerback a schol- arship. Moore visited Notre Dame 11 days later and committed on Feb. 4. The outcome of his re- cruitment was much less surprising than Carr's crash course at its start. " H e s p o k e h i g h l y o f M a rc u s Fre e m a n ," Carr said. "He knew he wanted to play for that guy. He could have gone to so m a ny d i f fe re n t places. But just know- ing the type of kid he is and his ceiling inside and outside the classroom, Notre Dame makes a ton of sense to me." ✦ Moore is a three-star prospect from Round Rock (Texas) High who is rated as On3's No. 41 cornerback nationally. PHOTO COURTESY REEL GOAT SPORTS LEONARD MOORE CORNERBACK 6-2 ∙ 175 ROUND ROCK H.S. ROUND ROCK, TEXAS RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 41 70 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 54 99 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 227 25 38 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 41 76 STATISTICS • Notched 28 tackles (15 solo), 1 interception and 2 passes broken up in five games as a senior. Also caught 9 passes for 137 yards and 2 touch- downs, and contributed 4 kick returns for 106 yards and a 57-yard punt return. • Made 31 tackles (20 solo), 3 interceptions, 4 passes broken up and 2 forced fumbles in 11 games as a junior. Also returned 7 kicks for 77 yards and 11 punts for 153 yards and 1 touchdown. • As a sophomore, made 40 stops (24 solo), 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions and 11 passes broken up in 10 games. NOTABLE • Invited to participate in the 2023 U.S. Army Bowl, an All-American showcase. Helped the Gold team to a 62-37 win over the Black squad Dec. 18 in Frisco, Texas, but didn't record any stats. • Earned a spot on the All-Texas 25-6A District first team in 2022. • Allowed just 3 receptions in 282 pass coverage snaps during his junior season. • Tabbed as the All-Texas 25-6A District Co-De- fensive Newcomer of the Year in 2021. • His father, Dr. Leonard N. Moore, is a professor of American History at the University of Texas and founding director of the College Football Research Project. • Also played basketball at Round Rock High. RECRUITMENT • Committed to the Fighting Irish on Feb. 4, 2023. • Will enroll at Notre Dame during the summer. • Also held offers from California, Duke, Mis- souri, Oregon, TCU and Vanderbilt. • Recruited by cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens. • Visited Notre Dame five times, including his official visit on June 9, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Could see some snaps at defensive back, but will likely contribute most on special teams THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "You have to start with his combination of height and ball skills. He's measured over 6-1, and he's still growing into his body. He still has a lot of physical maturation and development left to go. He'll continue to fill out, grow and add mass. Moore is a taller corner who can make plays on the ball. He can locate and track the ball. He's pretty technically refined and runs well. "He strikes me as the type who will continue to get faster. Moore has the prototypical size with his height, and he can turn and run. I'd view him as a boundary corner as he adds more mass. Notre Dame has done a good job recruiting Texas, and he can continue that recent trend." Cornerback Leonard Moore Has Developed Into An Outstanding Prospect