CB Leonard Moore Thriving in Notre Dame's Culture
Cornerback Leonard Moore committed to Notre Dame almost 18 months ago and remained firm in his commitment ever since.
Why did Moore never get cold feet?
Mike Mickens.
The Notre Dame defensive backs coach is not only one of the best position coaches in the nation, but the track record of development speaks for itself.
“Coach Mickens has an A-level pedigree,” stated Moore. “He’s the real deal. I learned that in the recruiting process and when I got here. Just his level of understanding of the game helps all the cornerbacks in this room elevate their game. You can see that from the top down. B-Mo (Benjamin Morrison), Christian Gray and Jaden Mickey have taught me and that all starts with Mickens.”
Mickens was a significant part of Moore’s decision to sign with Notre Dame, but it wasn’t the only one.
Notre Dame’s culture stood out and Moore experienced it firsthand during his first three weeks on campus, which gave him confidence that he had made the right choice.
“The whole team has been super inviting,” Moore explained. “The DB room specifically has given me confidence. They all told me of their first experiences here and how I’m going to grow with them and they’re going to teach me and that I’m going to eventually be at their level one day.
“I just met them. You go into a program, you don’t necessarily expect 100 percent (acceptance). You expect that people will have attitudes and be a little (standoffish). That’s what I got most from being here. Like everybody is nice to you and that’s been a huge help so far.”
The transition to college is a challenge on the field. At this level, the players are bigger, faster, strong and have experience.
Moore couldn’t be more grateful for the veterans taking him under their wing, as it’s allowed him to already grow during the first month on campus.
“It’s definitely a huge adjustment,” stated Moore.e “Not only the speed of the game, but the level of of intellect you have to have to play this game. They have helped me with technique as well as stuff that you learn from playing the college against high-level receivers, which is going to help me in the long run.”
A piece of Moore’s game that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of his 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame is his ability to play with physicality. It’s a part of the game Moore enjoys and fits well in the boundary.
“I bring physicality to the line and then I also bring ball skills,” Moore said. “Not a ton of DBs have ball skills, but I feel I have receiver ball skills as well as length.”
That said, Moore believes he can showcase his ability to cover to potentially see the field early at Notre Dame as he’s worked hard on his technique.
“I feel a part of my game that didn’t get enough credit is just technique,” Moore explained. “I feel I have good feet. A lot of people just see a long, rangy corner who can go get the ball, but I feel I can cover well. I do zone coverage just as well as I do man coverage.”
When it comes to growth in the weight room, Loren Landow is acclimating the summer enrollees to the program, but the time will come when the intensity ramps up.
“We haven’t gotten to the nitty gritty of the hard lifting and conditioning,” said Moore. “Coach Landow is programming us in getting our technique right so we can put weight on and grow those muscles we need to be explosive.”
Overall, Moore’s first three weeks have been exactly what he expected and he credits the Notre Dame staff for being transparent during his recruitment.
“The coaches have been amazing,” Moore said. “Chad (Bowden) and Marcus (Freeman), they were not lying when they said what the culture was like here. I’ve been invited to this team and I’ve been brought in just like I was family.
“They just said it’s different. Everybody here is different. Not many people have huge egos, but everybody is here to work and get better together and go win.”
Looking to join a Fighting Irish community and get the latest scoop? Sign up for our newsletter and become an ISD Premium Subscriber: Sign Up for ISD
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Collegiate Stack T-Shirt
