Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 JANUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Blake Biondi — Hockey The grad transfer forward from Hermantown, Minn., recorded 2 goals and 1 as- sist in a 5-2 win over Harvard at the 2024 Friendship Four Tournament Nov. 29 in Bel- fast, Northern Ireland. The Irish eventually took second place in the four-team event in the program's first-ever international appearance. Biondi scored his 2 goals in the first period against Harvard — his fifth and sixth of the year — then added his seventh assist this season in the third period. Lily Joseph — Soccer The freshman midfielder/ fo r wa rd f ro m H a m d e n , Conn., registered a team-best 6 shots in Notre Dame's 2-0 loss at Stanford in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tourna- ment Nov. 29. The loss pre- vented the Irish from reach- ing the national semifinals for their first time since the 2010 national championship season. Joseph may have been held scoreless in the game but she finished her rookie season second on the Irish with 22 points (8 goals, 6 assists). Sydney Palazzolo — Volleyball The senior outside hit- ter from Shelby Township, Mich., wrapped up the Irish 2024 season and finished her fine Notre Dame career in a hard-fought 3-1 loss to Cal Nov. 30 in Berkeley, Calif. Palazzolo paced the Irish with 13 kills and 8 digs in the match against the Golden Bears. Along the way, she became a member of the elite 1,000-dig, 1,000-kill club for her career. Noah Silvers — Fencing The junior epee from Chi- cago began his 2024-25 sea- son in grand fashion when he went 8-0 in the discipline at the Elite Invitational hosted by Penn University Nov. 17. In the process, he helped the Irish to a perfect 5-0 team record. Silvers was part of a dominating showing for Notre Dame in Philadelphia, which included wins over Princeton, Air Force, Stanford and host school Penn. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame and Indiana are two of the best teams in the nation in protecting the football and taking the ball away. The Irish are tied for second in the nation in turnover margin, coming in at +16 alongside Memphis and Clem- son. James Madison led the country with +17. Right behind the Irish, Tigers and Tigers are the Hoosiers, who have lost 8 turnovers and gained 23 for a margin of +15. "They play complementary football," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said about Indiana. "The defense is a pressure, attacking defense that makes you really earn everything you get, and the offense has done a good job taking care of the football and being consistent of what they do." Notre Dame, on the other hand, has gained 28 turn- overs — tied for first in the country with Texas — and lost only 12. The Irish are actually a middle-of-the-pack team with losing fumbles, but senior quarterback Riley Leonard has protected the football well with only 5 interceptions all year. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH MOORE TO COME When Notre Dame lost junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hip) for the season, it looked like its College Football Playoff chances might have taken a hit. But most didn't know that the Irish had a ready-made replacement in their back pocket. That was freshman cornerback Leonard Moore, who may be as good or better than Morrison — a likely first-round pick in the NFL Draft, pending medical evaluation — by the time his career is done. Those are Morrison's words, by the way. "This might be a stretch, but Leonard Moore will be better than I will be here," Morrison said during fall camp. "He's a special kid." Notre Dame liked its evaluation of Moore out of Round Rock (Texas) High, despite the 6-foot-2, 191-pound cornerback being ranked as a three-star prospect by most recruiting services. Soon after he stepped on campus, the Irish knew they were right. However, even they might not have expected Moore to be as good as he's been in Year 1. According to Pro Football Focus, Moore has been the sixth-best true freshman in college football this season. His PFF defense grade is 82.2, which includes a 77.8 mark in pass coverage and a 90.7 mark in run defense. That run defense grade is the best among all cornerbacks with at least 400 snaps in the country this season. Moore has totaled 13 defensive stops (tackles that result in a failure for the offense). He played his best game as a pass defender in Week 14 against USC, allowing just 2 receptions on a whopping 10 targets for 27 yards. — Jack Soble Graduate student safety Xavier Watts leads the Irish with 5 interceptions. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER HIGHEST-GRADED POWER FOUR TRUE FRESHMEN According to Pro Football Focus Rk. Player, Pos. School Grade 1. Koi Perich, S Minnesota 86.8 2. Colin Simmons, LB Texas 84.6 3. Isaac Brown, RB Louisville 83.6 4. Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State 83.0 5. Eli Bowen, CB Oklahoma 82.3 6. Leonard Moore, CB Notre Dame 82.2 7. Dylan Stewart, DE South Carolina 80.1 8. Kaleb Harris, S Auburn 79.9 9. Ashton Hampton, CB Clemson 79.9 10. Jadan Baugh, RB Florida 79.6 TOP FIVE FBS TEAMS IN TURNOVER MARGIN Rk. School Margin 1. James Madison +17 2. Notre Dame +16 Memphis +16 Clemson +16 5. Indiana +15