Notre Dame Star Leonard Moore Named To The Jim Thorpe Award Watch List
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Notre Dame star cornerback Leonard Moore has garnered a lot of well-deserved attention this offseason. ESPN named him as the No. 1 returning defender in all of college football. PFF named him as the No. 1 returning cornerback in the country and he remains atop several NFL Draft boards in the 2027 class as the best cornerback prospect in the country. Today, the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List was released and there was little to no surprise that the Texas native made his way onto the list.
Moore was a finalist for the award after his stellar 2025 performance. Last year, the 6-2, 197-pound corner finished the year with 31 total tackles, seven passes defended and a team-leading five interceptions despite missing two games in the regular season. Due to his exceptional performance last fall, the Round Rock native was also named a Unanimous All-American.
The preseason accolades keep rolling in for Notre Dame's star cornerback. He was named to the Walter Camp and Sporting News First-Team Preseason All-America teams and will likely be a first teamer by the Associated Press, the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) and the FWAA (Football Writers Association of America). Moore has also been named tot he Nagurski Trophy Watch List, Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List, the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Watch List and the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List this preseason.
Moore put together an outstanding season and built upon his true freshman campaign in 2024. After his output this season, Moore was named as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award and the LOTT Impact Trophy which recognizes the nation's top defensive player who makes an impact on and off the field.
The Texas native ranked 1st among all starting Power 4 cornerbacks in coverage grade (91.4) and 1st in overall defensive grades (90.9) according to PFF. Teams were well aware of Moore's abilities in coverage and was only targeted 11.5 percent of the coverage snaps he played.
No Notre Dame defensive back has won the Thorpe Award in program history. Moore was just one of three finalists in program history last season joining cornerback Bobby Taylor from the 1993 season and cornerback Todd Lyght from the 1989 season. The Texas native has the opportunity to be the first award winner in Notre Dame history this season and if he's the player we believe he can be, there's a good chance that comes to fruition.
Three Notre Dame opponents also had players named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. BYU safety Faletau Satuala, Syracuse cornerback Chris Peal and Miami Hurricane's safety Bryce Fitzgerald were also named to the watch list. Former Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey who transferred to Boise State a few years back was also named to the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List.
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