Angela Driskell, Irish Breakdown
Jul 2, 2026 12:06 AM
Standouts Leonard Moore, Anthonie Knapp, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa headline the preseason honors, cementing the Irish defense and offensive line as premier units ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Preseason All-American honors have started to roll in and three Notre Dame standouts received high honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. The Walter Camp All-America team is one of the five teams that make up unanimous and consensus All-America honors.
As expected, junior cornerback Leonard Moore was named to the Walter Camp First-Team All-America team. Moore was a unanimous All-American last season, which includes being first team on the Walter Camp team. Moore had a brilliant sophomore season, picking off five passes and breaking up seven more throws on the season. He ranked 8th nationally in passes defensed per game last season. Moore returned an interception back against Syracuse for a 46-yard touchdown, his only pick six of the career so far. Moore also racked up 31 tackles and had a forced fumble last season.
Junior offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp was also named a preseason First-Team All-American player by Walter Camp. Knapp has already started 26 games in his career and last season he emerged as one of Notre Dame's best blockers, along with 2025 second team All-American Billy Schrauth. Knapp started at left tackle during his first two seasons, but he'll move inside to left guard as a junior. Knapp made a smooth transition to guard during the spring and he's expected to thrive at the position.
Junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa also made the preseason team, earning Second Team honors from Walter Camp. The California native racked up 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last season for the Irish. His 7.5 tackles for loss were second on the defense, behind only Boubacar Traore. Viliamu-Asa was on fire during the second half of the season, registered 5.5 tackles for loss in the last five games of the season before going down with a knee injury in the win over Syracuse.
Viliamu-Asa will have to overcome that knee injury, which cost him the spring. His specific return date is unknown, but he is expected to make a full recovery at some point early in the season. That gives him plenty of time to make a major impact for the Irish defense.
A pair of Notre Dame opponents also earned preseason All-America honors from Walter Camp, and they both play for Miami. Hurricane wide receiver Malachi Toney was named to the preseason First Team squad. He had a dominant freshman season, catching 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. Another Miami sophomore, safety Bryce Fitzgerald, also earned recognition from Walter Camp. Fitzgerald was named to the second team after picking off six passes as a freshman in 2025.
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