Dominant sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore solidified his status as the nation's best, earning yet another prestigious All-America nod for his lockdown coverage and playmaking ability.
Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore has earned another All-American honor, this time from The Athletic. It's the second of what will be many for the talented sophomore cover man. Moore was named to The Athletic's First Team All-America squad after he established himself as the nation's best cornerback.
Moore was dominant for the Irish this season, racking up 31 tackles, seven pass break ups and five interceptions. His five picks was tied for fourth in the country, and he did that despite playing just 10 games and being targeted just 48 times on the season. Moore missed Notre Dame's wins over Purdue and Arkansas after being injured against Texas A&M. He intercepted two passes in his return, a game the Irish won over Boise State by a 28-7 score. Moore picked off a pass in each of the last two games of the season, and he returned his interception against Syracuse 46 yards for a touchdown.
Moore played some of the best football of his career in the 49-20 season-ending win over Stanford. The Texas native picked off a pass late in the second quarter to set up a score that put the Irish up 35-3 at halftime. Moore also broke up three more passes in the win and he also made five tackles. Moore was not only a dominant cover player in 2025, he also showed himself to be a strong force against the run for the Irish defense. His dominance as a pass defender played a key role in Notre Dame ranking 12th in passer efficiency defense in 2025.
His outstanding season not only has Moore placed on now two All-America lists, which also includes On3 Sports, he's also a finalist for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back. He was also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive player, which ultimately went to Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
Moore made an immediate impact at Notre Dame, earning Freshman All-America honors last season. His emergence helped Notre Dame overcome the loss of preseason All-American corner Benjamin Morrison. On top of being named to the Freshman All-America Team by Football Writers Association of America, Moore was also named the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year. Moore finished his freshman season with 48 tackles, 11 pass break ups and two interceptions in 16 games as a true freshman.
His tackles per game, break ups per game and interceptions per game rate all went up during his sophomore season. He also showed a stronger all-around game and displayed technical growth as a sophomore. Moore also stepped up in key moments for the Irish, showing he also has the clutch playmaking ability that made Morrison and Xavier Watts so impactful in the Irish defense.
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