Notre Dame Football

Freshman CB Leonard Moore Turning Heads at Notre Dame

By Matt Freeman

August 16, 2024

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Notre Dame football tweeted a video of freshman cornerback Leonard Moore picking off a pass in practice No. 2 on August 1st.

It’s not exactly uncommon as colleges are looking for social media content right and left from camp, but it may have set the tone for the camp Moore has had.

In fact, Moore’s teammates didn’t hold back when discussing the Texas native.

“This might be a stretch, but Leonard Moore will be better than I will be,” stated All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison. “Really.”

Bold.

And probably even bolder when you consider Morrison is named to just about every preseason All-American team as he enters his third season with nine career interceptions.

Yet, Morrison wasn’t the only one raving about Moore’s talents on Thursday during post-practice interviews.

Senior receiver Jayden Thomas has gone against Morrison every day for the last two seasons and has seen several other talented cornerbacks come through the Notre Dame program, but Moore was the player he wanted to highlight.

“When you get a cornerback who has that length and the skill in the boundary, it’s unstoppable,” explained Thomas. “BMo is more physical, I would say, even though he doesn’t look physical. Leonard has the length, which is more than BMo. If he gets the feet right, it’s going to be scary.”

Thomas will be gone from the program by the time Moore hits his groove, but that hasn’t stopped the locker room discussing the freshman cornerback.

“I think I was telling Beaux (Collins) and Deion (Colzie) that he’s going to be the truth,” stated Thomas. “He’s raw right now. He hasn’t gotten with (Mike) Mickens for three years like BMo has, but once he has, I can see him being one of the best cornerbacks taken off the board.”

Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has also been impressed with Moore and classmate Karson Hobbs. And yes, it’s Mickens’ job to downplay his freshmen corners, but it’s also apparent he likes the direction in which both are trending.

“They get better every day,” Mickens stated. “They’re growing every day. What I love about them is they’re very intentional about their work on and off the field as well. They want to be the best, so let’s see if they get out there and compete a little bit.”

So what makes Moore the talk of camp?

For Thomas, it’s just a feel of elite traits and confidence, which is impressive as life in the boundary can be challenging for older cornerbacks.

”It was kind of different,” Thomas said of going against Moore. “BMo is kind of smart, well he is smart, but Leonard, it was off of just lining up against him and feeling him in press coverage. It was different, but it was almost the same. That lockdown boundary feel.”

Morrison has made sure to take Moore under his wing, which means he’s been able to get into the mind of the 6-foot-1, 187-pounder and it’s left a positive impression.

“He's a special kid, just the way he approaches the game, the way he goes about his business,” explained Morrison. “I'm biased because he’s my roommate and I'm biased because I believe I'm giving him some tips and getting him there, but I think he has what it takes.

“I don't want to put any pressure on the kid because you’ve still got to see him on game day, but he's a special kid. I love his work ethic. I love the way he goes about it. He's very nonchalant about his work — just gives his best. That's all I can ask for as a leader and as an upperclassman.”

The next step for Moore will be to make plays on Saturdays, but there’s a ton of confidence he will at some point this season.

“It's going to take some time,” said Morrison. “I think if he keeps his head on straight, he’ll have a really good career here.”