While the Notre Dame football team still needs to determine starters at several positions, the biggest question may be the field cornerback spot. The defensive back who will play opposite Leonard Moore appears to be either Jayden Sanders or DJ McKinney. With DBs coach Aaron Henry and defensive coordinator Chris Ash still deciding, that delay stands out just one week before the Irish’s season opener against Wisconsin.
Part of the issue is that the two defenders have looked like they were on equal footing through training camp and the first weeks of practice. Sanders came over from the Michigan Wolverines and knows what’s required to hold his own in the Big Ten, even if he played only very sporadically in Ann Arbor.
McKinney, meanwhile, came to Notre Dame through the Transfer Portal this winter from Colorado. He entered the 2025 season with the Buffaloes as a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Earlier in the month, it looked like the competition wouldn’t be all that close, as Sanders routinely practiced with the first team and McKinney with the 2s. However, it appears that on any given day, the Fighting Irish defensive coaches see something they like in one or the other, forcing a game of leapfrog.
At the moment, it doesn’t appear the Notre Dame coaches are all that close to naming a winner of the competition. “Field corner, we haven’t made a decision yet between DJ and Jayden,” head coach Marcus Freeman said this past Friday. “But they’ve had a good battle, and both of them have played really well.”
Chris Ash says Notre Dame football will play DJ McKinney and Jayden Sanders at field corner
For his part, Ash said it doesn’t really matter who is officially named the starter. “We’re not sure who’s going to [start] yet at this point, either,” Ash said. “But they’re both gonna play. We do know that.”
The competition lasting as long as it has makes some analysts believe that the guy the Fighting Irish coaches thought would win the job hasn’t managed to grab the opportunity the way they wanted to see. Of course, the alternative is that whoever was the favorite to be the backup has played out of his mind and made the decision too difficult.
Based on resume alone, McKinney would appear the favorite. In 2023, he made 38 tackles and recorded 5 passes defended for Oklahoma State. The following season in Boulder, he tallied 61 tackles, 8 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. Those numbers were the driving force behind his All-Big 12 nod entering 2025. Injuries limited him to just 9 games during his final season with Colorado.
Sanders has just one season and 9 games of college football under his belt with the Wolverines. Last season, he recorded 23 tackles and 1 pass defended.
While McKinney has the resume, Sanders has the willingness to do whatever the Notre Dame coaches ask. Even if he doesn’t win the starting job, it’s clear he’ll see plenty of field time. “He’s just one of those kids that has the right mentality,” Freeman said earlier in camp. “And he’s fit in well with the guys that are here,” I think that’s the best part. The character and the type of person and player he is, it’s been a smooth transition coming here.”
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