We've reached the end of another week of the offseason and we've reached the end of our 'State of the Program' series. Today, we talk about Notre Dame's defensive backfield which is one of, if not the best, returning secondary in the country. They return Unanimous All-American Leonard Moore, cornerback Christian Gray who is about to be a three-year starter, the best safety duo in the country and a plethora of depth. But thankfully, it's not ending there. The future of Notre Dame's defensive backfield is also looking bright. 

We wrapped everything up with a daily mailbag geared around cornerback, safeties and recruiting. 

Part 1 - Ends 0:48:43

In part one of today's show, we talk about Notre Dame's cornerbacks. On top of returning Moore and Gray, the Irish also bring back Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery, two players who started multiple games for the Irish last fall. They also brought in Jayden Sanders and DJ McKinney from the portal. There's a question around who will be the starting nickel and starting field corners, but there's no question around the level of talent at cornerback. 

Part 2 - Ends 1:26:42

The safety room is also one of the best in the nation. On top of returning Shuler and Johnson, they also have a lot of talent waiting in the wings in the rotation. In part two of today's show, we break down the Notre Dame safety room and talk about their 'big three' coming back featuring Shuler, Johnson and Luke Talich who is entering his final season of eligibility. 

Part 3 - Ends 1:54:12

The future of the Notre Dame secondary is also looking bright. There's some closing that has yet to be done on the recruiting trail for the 2027 class, but the immediate future is already on campus. The 2026 recruiting class was 'as advertised' and players like Joey O'Brien, Ayden Pouncey and Chaz Smith have already started to make a name for themselves. This fall, hopefully we'll get to see Khary Adams and Nick Reddish as well. 

Part 4 - Remainder Of Show

We ended the week with a daily mailbag and answered questions about Notre Dame's elite secondary, what they're doing on the recruiting trail and who we think the standouts will be this upcoming season. 

Let us know what you think of this episode! How do you all see the secondary? Who do you think will be the next star in the cornerback room?