Notre Dame is 6-0 so far this year, but it's clear the powers that be still don't take the Fighting Irish that seriously. The BYU Cougars are the first of two clashes against Top 10 teams and the first of three against Top 25 teams in the second half of the season. So will top defensive back Leonard Moore return for the first time in weeks?
Earlier this week, head coach Marcus Freeman said the All-American cornerback and defensive lineman Jason Onye are both on track to play Saturday night after practicing this week.
Freeman said Thursday that No. 2 Notre Dame is "expecting" both Moore (concussion) and Onye (left ankle) to return in Provo. Moore missed last week's game against Stanford, while Onye has been out since the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Both players are still listed as questionable on Notre Dame's availability report for BYU.
"They both got some practice reps in the game plan," Freeman said. "... If they keep trending in the direction they're going, we're expecting them to hopefully help us on Saturday."
Leonard Moore expected to return for Notre Dame football against Top-10 BYU
Moore earned first-team All-America honors in 2025 after being named to several freshman All-America teams in 2024. He has seven career interceptions and 22 pass breakups.
Moore has eight tackles and four pass breakups this season, while Onye had a tackle in the Wisconsin game.
Moore is considered one of the best corners in the sport and one that opposing defenses tend to stay away from if they can help it. Because opponents tend to stay away from his side of the field, he doesn't always rack up many stats in the box score. Last season, he logged just 31 tackles, but he also had 7 pass breakups and 5 interceptions.
He logged those numbers despite missing a few games due to injury. The year before, Moore tallied 48 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. That freshman season convinced everyone he needed to be feared when facing Notre Dame.
2025 was Onye's best season with Notre Dame. He logged 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks and hopes to build on that season to bolster his draft stock. If he stays healthy through the rest of the fall and winter and puts up similar numbers to last season, he will no doubt be considered an early-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
First, of course, Notre Dame has business with BYU this Saturday. If both defenders play and get a decent number of snaps, the Cougars will have an even harder task ahead of them.
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