Notre Dame may be sitting at 6-0, but the Irish are still waiting to find out if two key defenders can get back on the field for one of their biggest tests yet.
Marcus Freeman said Thursday that the No. 2 Irish are “expecting” Leonard Moore and Jason Onye to return Saturday night against No.
10 BYU in Provo. Both are still listed as questionable on Notre Dame’s availability report, but Freeman said the pair practiced this week and are trending in the right direction.
“They both got some practice reps in the game plan," Freeman said. "... If they keep trending in the direction they're going, we're expecting them to hopefully help us on Saturday."
Moore, an All-American cornerback, has missed the last week with a concussion after sitting out against Stanford. Onye, a defensive lineman, has been out since the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay because of a left ankle injury.
If they do suit up, it would be a big boost for Notre Dame as it heads into the first of two games against Top 10 opponents and the first of three matchups against Top 25 teams in the second half of the season.
Moore has been one of the most important pieces of the Irish defense since arriving on campus. He earned first-team All-America honors in 2025 after making several freshman All-America teams in 2024. In his career, he has seven interceptions and 22 pass breakups.
This season, Moore has eight tackles and four pass breakups. Last year, he posted 31 tackles, seven pass breakups and five interceptions despite missing some games because of injury. The season before that, he recorded 48 tackles, 11 pass breakups and two interceptions, the kind of production that made him impossible to ignore.
Onye’s return would also matter. He had a tackle in the Wisconsin game and turned in his best season with Notre Dame in 2025, finishing with 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks. With a healthy finish to the fall and winter, he could help strengthen his draft stock and put himself in position to be viewed as an early-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
For now, though, Notre Dame’s focus is squarely on BYU. And if Moore and Onye are cleared to go, the Cougars will be facing a defense that could be even tougher to deal with.
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