Marcus Freeman’s recruiting approach at Notre Dame can be blunt, direct, and apparently exactly what Leonard Moore’s family needed to hear.
Dr. Leonard Moore, the Fighting Irish cornerback’s father, gave a firsthand account of that final visit to South Bend on a recent appearance on the podcast Two Sports Dads. He said Freeman made the school’s demands crystal clear before the family ever left campus.
“The last, right before we left, we're going to meet with Freeman. And Freeman says, Leonard, I want you here, but I want you to understand what you're signing up for,” the elder more said about their last trip to Notre Dame.
Then came the full rundown from the Notre Dame coach: “There ain't nothing to do up here. It ain't a bunch of nightlife.
Yep. Ain't no online classes.
The classes are hard,” the head coach laid out before getting to the punchline. “But if you can come and do this, if you can come here and do this.
There is nothing in life you won't be able to do.”
Dr. Leonard Moore also said the staff never sold his son on an easy route to the field. According to Moore, then-cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens told Leonard he’d have a shot, but only if he earned it the same way everybody else would.
That part matters because it matches the way Freeman and his staff have reportedly handled plenty of other recruits since he arrived in South Bend. The message is straightforward: Notre Dame’s academic standards are a hurdle, but also part of the appeal for the right kind of player.
For Moore’s father, that approach clearly landed.
And the proof showed up fast. Leonard Moore committed after that pitch, then got on the field almost right away. He saw limited snaps in the first few games of 2024, and by Week 5, he was starting and playing most of the game.
By the end of his freshman season, Moore had 42 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. He also built a reputation as one of the best, if not the best, defensive backs in the sport.
Notre Dame’s honest sales job worked. Freeman and Mickens told Moore what the challenge would be, and Moore answered it.
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