Blue and Gold Illustrated

45-4 Oct. 4, 2025 Arkansas

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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52 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED T h e re t u r n o f so p h o m o re cornerback Leonard Moore won't be the lone solution for Notre Dame's defensive struggles. The Irish had plenty of prob- lems defending the pass prior to the Associated Press Preseason All-America selection injuring his right ankle in the 41-40 loss to Texas A&M. Moore finished the game against the Aggies but didn't play in the 56-30 win over Purdue. Notre Dame started to recon- sider how it should use Moore before his impending return to the starting lineup. Head coach Marcus Freeman said the coach- ing staff has considered letting Moore shadow the best receiver for opposing teams. "He's as good as I've been around at that position," Freeman said. "We've had discussions. If we need to match him up with the best wide receiver no matter where he's at, we will. But you also have to do a good job of being able to do that and playing some zone. "No defense is good enough to just say, 'Hey, we're playing man every play.' We have considered that and talked about it." Moore needed to focus on self-im- provement following Notre Dame's 27-24 loss at Miami to open the season. Pro Football Focus gave him a defensive grade of 55.3, which was the worst of his career to date. During a freshman season in which he was named Freshman De- fensive Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America, Moore never dropped below the defensive grade of 65.1 he received against Miami (Ohio). PFF assigned 5 receptions for 50 yards and 1 touchdown thrown against Moore by Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Only 2 incompletions were thrown with Moore covering the intended target. The biggest mistake for Moore was getting caught biting on a double move by wide receiver CJ Daniels on his 20- yard touchdown reception. Moore took the blame when speaking to reporters. He said he shouldn't have been as con- cerned about trying to prevent a short completion to Daniels with so little time left in the first half. Moore suggested that might be the first time he got beat on a double move during his Notre Dame career. "I don't think I got any double moves last year," Moore said. "That was on me for sure, just not being completely aware of the situation and the splits of the receivers." As talented cornerbacks are expected to do, Moore bounced back with a strong performance against Texas A&M. De- spite the Irish surrendering 360 passing yards to the Aggies, Moore allowed just 1 reception for 11 yards, per PFF. He inter- cepted a pass and broke up two more on the other 3 targets thrown his direction. That performance earned Moore a 90.4 defensive grade from PFF, which was higher than any single game for Moore last season. If the Irish can get that kind of dominance from Moore consistently upon return, it might be easier for defensive coordinator Chris Ash to create a better coverage plan. Notre Dame has already made person- nel changes in the secondary by moving redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson into the starting lineup. He replaced redshirt sophomore captain Adon Shuler in the first half of the Pur- due game, while he served his tar- geting suspension. Johnson then decreased redshirt senior Jalen Stroman's playing time. Stroman, a transfer from Virginia Tech, started the first three games and was tied for the team high in tack- les at the time with 15. Freshman Dallas Golden re- placed sophomore Karson Hobbs in the starting lineup at nickel back against Purdue, though that's a role he's sharing with redshirt senior DeVonta Smith following a return from a right ankle injury. Getting Moore back on the field is probably more important than any of those developments in the secondary. That's because how the Irish utilize Moore just might make those developments even more meaningful. Perhaps no one would benefit from Moore following the top receiver than junior cornerback Christian Gray. The two were key cogs in Notre Dame's stel- lar pass defense last season, but Gray has been inconsistent since late November. Opposing offenses may still try to pick on Gray. That's probably why he faced 12 targets against Miami rather than the seven thrown Moore's direc- tion. When Hobbs, who faced a team- high 13 targets against Texas A&M, or freshman Mark Zackery IV, who faced a team-high 8 targets against Purdue, aren't playing as frequently, the focus may return to Gray. But Gray remains Notre Dame's second-best cornerback. Putting him in advantageous situations and giv- ing more difficult challenges to Moore makes all the sense in the world. That strategy is typically reserved for some of the best cornerbacks in the NFL rather than true sophomores in college. But Moore's already proven he's not a typical sophomore. The way he's used should be atypical as well. ✦ Notre Dame needs to let Moore, a sophomore cornerback, shadow the opponent's best wide receiver. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Leonard Moore Deserves More Responsibilities Tyler James has been covering Notre Dame athletics since 2011. He can be reached on X @ TJamesND FIRST AND LAST TYLER JAMES

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