Leonard Moore doesn’t need Notre Dame coaches or national analysts telling him how good he is. What he still seems to need from the coaches is guidance on how to keep improving and solidify himself as the best corner in the sport.
After breaking out as a freshman in 2024, Moore followed his first year up, despite playing in just 10 games, by leading the Irish with five interceptions and recording seven pass breakups en route to becoming a unanimous All-American while finishing as a finalist for both the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
So how is Notre Dame working to somehow make Leonard Moore even better? It’s not as difficult a task as some might think, according to head coach Marcus Freeman. "You’ve just got to be intentional about what you challenge him with. Leonard's not going to struggle with the same things that maybe a freshman struggles with."
Granted, Moore was far from the average freshman even when he was in his first year in South Bend. The Texas native played in all 16 games during Notre Dame's run to the 2024 national championship game.
Leonard Moore’s rapid rise gives Notre Dame football a unique coaching challenge
Even better for the Fighting Irish was that Moore stepped up and stepped in when Benjamin Morrison went down with an injury. When Morrison was hurt, it was thought to be the kind of injury that could hurt Notre Dame’s defense for the rest of the year. At the time, Moore was considered a talented but green defensive back who broke out once he was given a chance.
Moore finished that season with 48 tackles, two interceptions and a team-high 11 pass breakups before being named the FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. He could have been named the defensive player of the year except that there were other dominating defenders on his squad, including Xavier Watts.
"It's always a challenge, the details, the fundamentals, like how you coach him every play, you challenge him, the leadership," Freeman said. "There's a lot of ways to challenge Leonard. He wants that. He wants to be coached."
Freeman added that great players don’t want to be left alone. They are great because they are always looking for ways to get even better. All of that should be very bad news for Notre Dame opponents who were hoping Leonard Moore might rest on his laurels in what is expected to be his final season in the college ranks.
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