Leonard Moore may be the headliner in Notre Dame’s secondary, but DJ McKinney is the newcomer drawing real attention.
McKinney arrived from Colorado, where he played under “Coach Prime,” and he has already started to make an impression around the Irish defense. Given how uneven the Buffaloes were for much of the Deion Sanders era, it makes sense that McKinney could have flown a little under the radar on that side of the ball.
Part of what makes him feel like a fresh face is that he did not take part in Notre Dame’s spring practices. He was still finishing his degree at Colorado, though he was on campus in South Bend and able to observe while teammates worked through the playbook and the early depth-chart battles. Even without practicing, he has apparently picked things up fast.
“I learned so much my first week being at Notre Dame,” McKinney reportedly told the media last week. “My football IQ went up just being around guys like Lenny (Leonard Moore), how he watches film, how he diagnoses certain formations out on the field.”
McKinney was hardly an anonymous player before landing in South Bend. He was a preseason All-Big 12 selection in 2025, but injuries cut into that season and eventually kept him out of Colorado’s final three games. Those setbacks hurt his draft stock and pushed him toward another year in college, with the idea that a strong run at Notre Dame could help him rebuild that value.
That upside is a big part of why The Athletic’s Antonio Morales singled him out as Notre Dame’s most intriguing addition. Morales put together a list of the most intriguing additions to every Power 4 team, placing McKinney among the 68 most intriguing players at the major-program level.
“The Fighting Irish return the best corner in the country, Leonard Moore,” Morales wrote. “But beefed up the position group with the addition of McKinney, who had a strong 2024 season at Colorado but was hampered by injury down the stretch in 2025. McKinney is joining an experienced, talented team that has its sights on a national title.”
McKinney’s path to Notre Dame was a little unusual, too. Reports initially said he had committed to Marcus Freeman’s program, then those reports were pulled back. A few days later, the commitment talk resurfaced, and this time McKinney confirmed he was headed to South Bend.
He still hasn’t been promised a starting job, but if he earns meaningful snaps, the payoff could be twofold: a boost for his own stock and another boost for a Notre Dame defense trying to win a lot of games.
In Other News...
Michael Irvin's Notre Dame CFP Complaint Misses One Huge Reality
Michael Irvins gripe about Notre Dames College Football Playoff path taps into a familiar debate, but it leaves out the part of the bracket structure that matters most to Miami. Under the current rules, Notre Dame can lock up a playoff berth by finishing in the top 12 of the final rankings, a setup that has long fueled complaints from fans of teams chasing spots through conference play. It is the sort of wrinkle that can make a November matchup feel bigger than a single game.
Miami, though, is not boxed out by the Irish being in the mix. The ACC champion gets an automatic playoff bid, alongside the champs from the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, plus the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion, so the Hurricanes still control a different route into the field. Even if they stumble against Notre Dame, they can keep their postseason case alive by winning the league, which is why the real stakes in this discussion go beyond one complaint about one opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Saw An Old Defensive End Twist Help LSU Fast
A Louisiana judges temporary restraining order has sent another ripple through college football, and LSU was quick to take advantage. The ruling allowed 16 players to return to college football and re-enter the transfer portal, giving the Tigers a pathway to add Notre Dame transfer Junior Tuihalamaka as they continue reshaping a defensive line that already has seen major turnover this offseason.
From Notre Dames perspective, the move is another reminder of how fluid the roster market has become, especially when a player with experience and versatility suddenly becomes available again. LSU has already fortified that front with help from Ole Miss and Tennessee, along with incoming freshmen, and Tuihalamaka gives the Tigers another piece to sort into the mix while the wider legal backdrop keeps creating unexpected openings. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Be Facing A Defensive Line Decision It Wanted To Avoid
Notre Dames late-summer roster picture has picked up another layer of uncertainty on the defensive line, with Junior Tuihalamakas camp indicating the former Irish lineman intends to enter the transfer portal even though he has not officially done so. His path back to campus has already taken a detour, after a temporary restraining order allowed him and other players to return for a final college season and he received special approval to explore that option.
The Irish have discussed the possibility of bringing Tuihalamaka back, but the situation does not appear settled, and that hesitation could end up shaping his next move. For a program that would prefer clarity in the trenches before camp fully takes hold, the unresolved status of a veteran lineman is the sort of roster decision Notre Dame has been trying to avoid. [Read more 🡒]