leonard moore lands on thorpe watchlist
Sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore has been named to the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, an award given annually to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. Leonard Moore was one of those underrated gems of the 2024 recruiting class that didn’t report until fall camp and quickly showed up in coverage situations. He continued to prepare for his moment that came before the Louisville game, when starting CB Christian Gray was a late scratch due to injury. When the Fighting Irish found out that All-American Benjamin Morrison would miss the remainder of the season due to injury, Moore took full advantage of the opportunity to establish himself as one of the best pass defenders in the country.
He followed it up with another seven-tackle performance, adding a tackle for a loss of 16 yards and two pass breakups at Georgia Tech. He compiled two-consecutive stops to force a turnover on the last drive of the first half, cementing an Irish lead.
Moore enters his true sophomore season already named to the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Nagurski Trophy, as well as to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America First Team. As a true freshman in 2024, he was named the FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the Freshman All-America teams for FWAA, ESPN, The Athletic (First Team), Pro Football Focus, the College Football Network and the 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team.
In 2024, Moore started 10 games and totaled 48 tackles with two interceptions, 2.0 TFL, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry. In the first two starts of his career, he totaled seven tackles in each.
Moore had several moments for the Irish during multiple College Football Playoff wins in the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl and an appearance in the 2025 CFP National Title game. In the regular season finale at USC, he recorded five pass breakups, tied for the second-most in a single game by any FBS player in 2024, becoming the only freshman to achieve the feat.
