Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 MAY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Isabel Allori — Track The distance ace from Timnath, Colo., earned ACC Women's Outdoor Fresh- man of the Week honors after her solid performance at the Raleigh (N.C.) Relays March 27-29. She finished the 5,000-meter race in 15:54.23 — the best time for an ACC women's athlete so far this out- door season — for a 14th-place finish in her signature event. This marked the first such honor for Allori during her young career. Rylie Hanford — Tennis The junior from Chester- land, Ohio, helped 30th- ranked Notre Dame extend its quick start to this season with an undefeated individ- ual weekend performance in team wins over No. 35 Clemson April 4 and No. 26 Georgia Tech April 6. Hanford lost only one set on the way to winning both of her singles matches and both of her doubles matches over the weekend in South Bend. Jake Taylor — Lacrosse The graduate student from Denver tallied 7 points (5 goals and 2 assists) to lead the Irish to a 14-7 win over Duke March 29. It marked the fourth hat trick of the season, and the 18th of his career, for the talented at- tacker. Through nine games, Taylor was tied for first on the team with 24 goals and was second with 28 points. Carson Tinney — Baseball Despite a tough start for the Irish baseball program, the sophomore catcher from Castle Pines, Colo., has excelled. Against Virginia Tech April 4-6, he went 5 for 11 at the plate with 1 home run, 3 runs scored and 3 RBI against the Hokies. Through games as of April 13, Tinney was tied for second on the team in both home runs (5) and RBI (26). TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame's defense, under new coordinator Chris Ash, has an incredibly high standard to live up to in 2025. In 2024, the Irish finished fifth in the nation in stop rate, according to ESPN, at 75.7 percent. Only Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee and Ole Miss, respectively, were better. Stop rate is not an advanced stat; it is simply the percentage of your opponent's drives that results in a punt, turnover or turnover on downs. It's a useful method for evaluating defensive success that differs from points per game, given the variations in offensive tempo that exist throughout the sport. Obviously, touchdowns are worth more than field goals, which is why ESPN also notes points per drive alongside stop rate. Notre Dame allowed 1.34 points per drive in 2024, which was tied for fifth with Alabama and behind the same four teams. The Irish bring back several key players who contributed to that defensive success. Sophomore corner- back Leonard Moore will likely be a preseason All-American, and Adon Shuler and Christian Gray both broke out in the secondary. At linebacker, junior Drayk Bowen leads a group that also returns senior Jaylen Sneed, junior Jaiden Ausberry and sophomore Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Up front, a banged-up defensive line should get healthier with the return of bud- ding star vyper Boubacar Traore. Defensive ends Joshua Burnham and Bryce Young are also back, and the latter has first-round po- tential. — Jack Soble CHARTING THE IRISH BEST OF THE BUNCH Pro Football Focus' annual lists of the top 10 college football players at each posi- tion are out, and the No. 1 spot on two of them belongs to Notre Dame. According to PFF, the Irish have the best returning running back in the nation in Jer- emiyah Love, as well as the best returning cornerback in Leonard Moore. The PFF ana- lyst in charge of the list, Max Chadwick, has said he believes Love and Moore are two of the best players in college football regardless of position. "[Love's] fantastic athleticism allows him to run through or hurdle defenders, making him a threat to score from anywhere on the field," Chadwick wrote. Moore is the seventh rising sophomore to be named the top returning player at his position since PFF began crafting these lists in 2020. Notably, three of them (Moore, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith) came this year. "The former three-star recruit is a smooth athlete at 6-foot-2 who mirrors receivers at an elite level already," Chadwick wrote. "In fact, he only allowed 16 of his 42 targets in single coverage to be caught." The Irish placed two more players on PFF's top-10 lists: junior Drayk Bowen is the No. 9 linebacker and senior Aamil Wagner is the No. 5 offensive tackle. Additionally, Virginia graduate transfer tight end Malachi Fields was named an honorable mention for the top-10 wide receivers list. — Jack Soble Junior running back Jeremiyah Love (above) and sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore are among the top returning players in the country, regardless of position, per Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER FIGHTING IRISH RANKED IN TOP 10 AMONG RETURNING PLAYERS AT POSITION BY PFF Player, Pos. Rk. Jeremiyah Love, RB 1 Leonard Moore, CB 1 Aamil Wagner, OT 5 Drayk Bowen, LB 9 TOP FIVE STOP RATES IN 2024 Rk. School Stop Rate Points Per Drive 1. Ohio State 78.5 1.11 2. Texas 76.9 1.14 3. Tennessee 76.8 1.32 4. Ole Miss 75.9 1.28 5. Notre Dame 75.7 1.34