Leonard Moore’s return to the Notre Dame lineup came with a little rust, but it didn’t do anything to dim his standing among college football’s elite.
The Sporting News recognized the Fighting Irish cornerback on its midseason All-America team, naming Moore a first-team selection halfway through the 2026 season. It’s another strong marker for a defender who entered the year with a reputation as the best returning corner in the country and has backed that up for most of the season.
Moore, a 6-2, 197-pound native of Texas, has been targeted 13 times through five games. He missed the Stanford game because of a concussion, then came back against BYU in Notre Dame’s 28-24 road loss between two unbeaten, top-10 teams. The timing of the bye week could help him sharpen back up before the Irish face a major November test on November 7.
Last season, Moore was a unanimous All-American, and he’s in position to chase that same level of recognition again in 2026. Through this season, he has four pass breakups and eight solo tackles. He’s also already on the radar for other honors, landing on the Wuerffel Trophy semifinalist list and the AllState AFCA Good Works Team.
More recognition could still be coming. Moore is expected to show up on semifinalist lists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Jim Thorpe Award and additional midseason All-America teams.
His presence matters even more now after Notre Dame’s uneven showing against BYU. The Irish defense remains a major strength on paper, ranking fifth nationally in scoring defense, first in total defense, third in rush defense and 15th in pass defense.
That unit is about to get a serious November workout. Two of the three best passing offenses on Notre Dame’s schedule arrive next month, beginning with No.
1 Miami on November 7 and followed by No. 23 SMU on November 21 in South Bend.
The matchup with the Hurricanes will also pit Moore against Malachi Toney, another Sporting News midseason All-America selection.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Landed A Rare 2027 Opener Change
Notre Dame has a little extra clarity for 2027 now, and it comes with a scheduling twist that changes the feel of the season before it even begins. The Irish will open against Kent State at Notre Dame Stadium on Aug. 28, moving the game up from the originally listed Oct. 2 date and giving the program its first home opener since 2020. It also adds a first-time opponent to the mix in a game that carries a bit of added resonance because Kent State is the alma mater of the late Lou Holtz.
For Notre Dame, the switch is less about novelty than it is about the shape of the early season, with another confirmed matchup now set in place on the calendar. It also alters the terms of the original arrangement, which included a $1.3 million guarantee payment to Kent State, underscoring how these nonconference deals can shift long before the teams ever take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Fans Have A New Reason To Watch BYU This Week
No. 2 BYUs trip to UCF gives Notre Dame fans a fresh scouting opportunity, and it comes with a little extra intrigue for the Irish after the Cougars handled then-No. 2 Notre Dame earlier this season. UCF is getting ready to host a top-five team for the first time, so the Knights are treating the matchup as a measuring stick, with Scott Frost and several players talking about the lift that comes from playing at home and the challenge of going after an undefeated opponent.
For Notre Dame, the bigger draw is simple: another look at the team that already showed it can beat elite competition, this time in a different setting and against a defense trying to find ways to slow quarterback Bear Bachmeier. UCF is still looking for its first win against a top-five opponent, which only adds to the stakes, but from an Irish perspective the game is a chance to watch how BYU handles pressure on the road and whether the Cougars can keep rolling after their win in South Bend. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Carr Is Giving Notre Dame Fans A New NFL Dream
As the 2027 quarterback race has taken shape, the early buzz around Arch Manning, Dante Moore and Julian Sayin has been complicated by uneven play and injuries, leaving evaluators searching for the most complete passer in the class. That search has helped turn the focus toward CJ Carr, whose rise at Notre Dame has been built less on flash than on the kind of traits NFL teams tend to trust most: pre-snap command, accuracy and a steady feel for the offense.
Carrs showing against BYU offered another reminder of why his stock keeps climbing. He looked composed under pressure and comfortable working through the details that separate a college producer from a pro prospect, which is why some see a passer in the mold of Matt Ryan or Drew Brees. For Notre Dame fans, it is a familiar and oddly exciting place to be again, watching a quarterback develop into a national name while the bigger question is not whether he belongs in the conversation, but how high that conversation will eventually go. [Read more 🡒]