drayk bowen, leonard moore on nagurski watchlist
Notre Dame defenders continue to receive admiration and buzz from the success of the Fighting Irish defense over the past three seasons. The latest recognition is courtesy of the Bronko Nagurski Award, which has linebacker Drayk Bowen and cornerback Leonard Moore on its preseason Watch List.
The Nagurski Trophy goes to the nation’s top all-around defensive player, and the award found it’s way to South Bend in 2023 when it went to Notre Dame star safety Xavier Watts. Bowen and Moore are the two returners getting the most preseason recognition as the Irish look to have another star win that honor.
Bowen excelled as a first-year starter in 2024 and he took control on the Mike linebacker position under now ex-defensive coordinator Al Golden, and became a vocal leader for the defense. He finished third on the Irish defense with 78 tackles while ranking 7th on the defense in snaps. By the end of the season Bowen was a clear leader of the Irish defense. He played his best football of the season during the final stretch, racking up 22 tackles in the final three playoff games, including 8 in both the Orange Bowl win over Penn State and 8 in the title game loss to Ohio State.
Bowen was listed as a preseason All-American by Phil Steele.
Moore is widely considered the best returning cornerback in college football and projects as a future first-round NFL draft pick. He was a star as a freshman earning Defensive Freshman of the Year honors from the Football Writers Association of America. He tallied 48 tackles, picked off two passes and broke up 11 more during his dynamic rookie season. Heading into his sophomore season, Moore is expected to be one of the top defenders in the nation, regardless of position.
Five Notre Dame opponents also made the Nagurski Trophy Watch List. Miami (Fla.) defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee, Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis, Navy defensive tackle Landon Robinson and Boise State defensive Jayden Virgin-Morgan all made the list.
Shaun M. Davis
Xavier Watts Selected in 2nd round of nfl draft by falcons
Xavier Watts was selected in the third round with the 96th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. The 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner and team captain joins former Irish players JD Bertrand and Khalid Kareem in tlanta, and he is the second player drafted in two years by the Falcons (Bertrand). Watts is the 13th Notre Dame player all-time to be drafted by Atlanta.
This gives Notre Dame two players drafted in the top 100 picks of the NFL Draft, and makes them one of two teams to have two defensive backs selected in the top 100 along with Texas. The last time the Fighting Irish had the same success was in 1994 with Jeff Burris and Willie Clark.
Watts did nothing to dispel his 2nd round projection at Notre Dame's Pro Day. He participated in three events and cemented his status as a Day 2 pick. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds.
The talented safety is one of the most decorated Notre Dame football players in program history, Watts won the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy recognizing the best defensive player in college football, and is a two-time consensus All-American.
Over his career, Watts totaled 13 interceptions, the most by a Notre Dame player since 1996. His 13 interceptions over the last two seasons were the most by any FBS player during that span; the next closest players had nine.
Watts started his 33rd consecutive game at the CFP National Championship, the second-most for an Irish safety in program history (Jalen Elliott, 39 from 2017-19) and the 11th-most for any defensive player in Notre Dame history.He ranked ninth among active FBS players in consecutive starts in the secondary with 33.