It's hard to imagine there honestly being even more hype for Notre Dame defensive back Leonard Moore than there already is. After all, he's considered a first-round selection in next spring's NFL Draft, and he's even a cover athlete for this year's version of EA Sports College Football. And yet, insider Greg McElroy believes that some people still don't quite understand just how good the star cornerback really is.
McElroy laid out who he thinks the best secondaries of college football are in a recent episode of his Always College Football podcast. He has the Irish as the best secondary in the country, and he credits Moore as the biggest reason why. He also believes that while Moore will lead the best unit in the sport, he still gets overlooked a bit because he came into South Bend under the radar.
Notre Dame football's secondary is one bad mamma jamma according to Greg McElroy
"At number one, it is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. There is a corner in South Bend who is 21 years old and has already been in the conversation to be one of the top picks of the 2027 NFL draft," McElroy said of the video game cover athlete. "If you look at what Leonard Moore did, this guy was not universally regarded as, oh yeah, this will be the top corner in the sport in a couple years."
The analyst then laid out that a key injury to the defense opened the door for Moore to show what he could do as a true freshman.
"Well, his freshman year, Benjamin Morrison gets hurt, goes down with a hip injury. In comes Leonard Moore and he just goes on to lead Notre Dame in pass breakups. He goes on to become a freshman All-American. Then in his sophomore year, was one of the most dominant defensive players in the sport."
"The guy does not let wide receivers breathe. As far as separation against him on a play-to-play basis, if you can separate and get open against him, the quarterback better get it out quickly because if you're open, it won't be for long 'cause he closes faster than just about anyone in the sport."
Leonard Moore leads the way for @GregMcElroy's No. 1⃣ secondary in CFB ☘️
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) June 17, 2026
"There is not currently an argument that holds up against this unit."@NDFootball | #GoIrish@NDFootball | #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/fEgvS9v3Kr
Leonard Moore leads the best secondary in the country
McElroy then laid out why Leonard Moore is better than most people outside the Notre Dame program understand. He's not a particularly big guy at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds. However, McElroy thinks he's someone who plays bigger than his frame indicates he can.
"Watch the way he mirrors routes, watch the way he competes at the catch point, and not waiting for the ball to arrive but contesting every throw as if when you try it against me it's almost personal...This is just football at a level that most players his age have not reached yet."
The only real thing that can limit Leonard Moore in 2026 is his health. He missed two games for Notre Dame in 2025, but still put up very solid numbers. In 10 games, he had 31 tackles, a career high 5 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and an interception returned for a touchdown. If he can avoid missing any games this fall, he'll show out at a level no other cornerback in the sport can match.
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