Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 41-13vs Wisconsin | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
#15
Leonard Moore
Notre Dame's offense gets the headlines, but its best player might be the corner nobody throws at. As a sophomore, Leonard Moore was a unanimous All-American -- and he's back.
6′2″ · 197 lb · Round Rock, TX · Round Rock
CFB Index 91 · #11 of 364 cornersLow confidenceNational watchReturning to Notre Dame for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
On production he ranks #11 of 364 corners; on reputation he is on a national watch list. The gap between those two numbers is the story.
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 432 nationally · Signed with Notre Dame
No college snaps yet.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Notre Dame's offense gets the headlines, but its best player might be the corner nobody throws at. As a sophomore, Leonard Moore was a unanimous All-American -- and he's back.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Notre Dame in 2024.
- Named All-America (Consensus) in 2025.
- Named Preseason All-America in 2026.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 42.7 points in belief.
27.3own fans
70national conversation
Leonard Moore is out. Great. Love how in week 1 they mentioned CB is ND's worst position in terms of depth and every game they have dealt with injuries and guys coming in and out at the position.
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
243 windows · 2026 fan posts
leonard×475.3dame×30.8notre×29.7damn×125.8face×65.2dude×54.2smith×14.7trevor×37.9
“Option offense throwing at Leonard Moore lol”
reddit/notredamefootball · fan post, verbatim
The story
First-team by all five selectors after five interceptions (including a pick-six) and twelve pass breakups in just ten games -- second in the country in picks per game. PFF graded him the No. 1 Power-Four corner in coverage (92.6) and the No. 1 defensive back overall (92.0). He's the rare prospect with elite man-AND-zone technique plus the ball production that usually belongs to only one or the other -- the anchor of a secondary that ranked fourth nationally with 21 interceptions. He could have been a high pick; instead it's only his junior year. The forward stakes are a title: Notre Dame's offense has Carr, and its defense has the best cover corner in the country to roll everything else around. The only thing capping his numbers is that quarterbacks have started looking the other way -- and the 2026 question is whether the lockdown corner becomes the one who closes a championship.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Moore is the rarest thing at the position: a corner who erases in man, robs in zone, and produces the ball -- usually you get one. PFF graded him the No. 1 Power-Four corner in coverage; he backed it with five interceptions and a dozen breakups in ten games, the production of a gambler paired with technique that never gambles. Watch the mirror: he rides a receiver's hip through the break, then locates the ball like a receiver himself. He's a true island corner -- the kind that lets a defense leave him alone and send its help everywhere else. There's no obvious hole to attack, which is the point: the only thing limiting his stat line is that quarterbacks have started avoiding his side entirely.
Written by our staff.
202415 games
- Signed with Notre Dame4-star out of Round Rock
202510 games
- All-America13 selectors
2026
- Preseason All-AmericaFirst Team
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
Notre Dame
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥇
ALL-AMERICA
Named All-American (2026)
1 selectors honored him
Badges
- Honors Badge
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Notre Dame
Played his entire career under Marcus Freeman.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Marcus Freeman — 26-4 over that span.
2024Notre Dame14-2HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning
2025Notre Dame10-2HC: Marcus Freeman · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2026Notre Dame2-0HC: Marcus Freeman · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidenceAscending
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 5.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 1.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Marcus Freeman
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
National watch / fringe AA
In the All-America conversation, short of a selector's first team.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Selector Grid · 2026
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Notre Dame | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Notre Dame | 31 | 23 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 5 | -- |
| 2024 | Notre Dame | 48 | 34 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 11 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 84 | 62 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 19 | 7 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 41–13
vs Wisconsin
5 TOT · 5 SOLO · 1 PD
Dominant 28-point win at home against Wisconsin.
With C. Carr — 239 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 81.3 · -6 rush yds (2 car) · A. Williams — 90 rush yds (20 car) · 2 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Moore is the rarest thing at the position: a corner who erases in man, robs in zone, and produces the ball -- usually you get one. PFF graded him the No. 1 Power-Four corner in coverage; he backed it with five interceptions and a dozen breakups in ten games, the production of a gambler paired with technique that never gambles. Watch the mirror: he rides a receiver's hip through the break, then locates the ball like a receiver himself. He's a true island corner -- the kind that lets a defense leave him alone and send its help everywhere else. There's no obvious hole to attack, which is the point: the only thing limiting his stat line is that quarterbacks have started avoiding his side entirely.
Our classifier reads him the same way: reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away.
2026 Outlook
Notre Dame
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Cornerback · Notre Dame
Returning around him
- 6 Notre Dame players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -9 net (7 in / 16 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Notre Dame · Last season: 10-2 (AP #9) · Talent rank #6 · 2026 recruiting class #5
DNA match
Player DNA
Ball Hawk
Reads the quarterback's eyes and takes the ball away.
CB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Joey Porter Jr.’s 2022 season.
77%match
All-Big TenNFL Rd 2 · Pk 1
Matches Joey on
Weight
Height
Tackle volume
Differs from Joey on
Class year (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kaleb Martin's sophomore season at Miami (OH) (2025).
88%match
Matches Kaleb on
Class year
Height
PD rate
The secondary · Notre Dame
- #8Adon Shuler52 tackles · 2025
- #9Tae Johnson48 tackles · 2025
- #2Dylahn McKinney34 tackles · 2025
- #15Leonard Moore31 tackles · 2025
- #28Luke Talich25 tackles · 2025
13 more on the roster · Notre Dame team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology