Midseason superlatives for 2024. MVP, top players, top transfers

We have reached the halfway point of the season, Notre Dame has played six regular season games. There have been ups and downs, but some players have stood out in the first half of the 2024 season.

I asked our four-person team about various superlatives and we voted on each category. Superlatives include: Team MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Surprise Player and Most Impactful Transfer.

John Kennedy (JK), Mason Plummer (MP), Nick Shepkowski (NS) and I (NE) each shared our picks for the six superlatives.

MVP of the Notre Dame midseason team

This was a unanimous decision as we all chose Xavier Watts. The Notre Dame defense is the backbone of the team, and Watts stands out as a leader, always demonstrating his dominance.

In six games, he has recorded 21 combined tackles, 5 passes defended and 2 interceptions. The 2023 All-American and Nagurski Award winner has arguably elevated his game in 2024, even if the raw numbers don’t fully reflect that. He remains the ball-happy player we saw last year, although two interceptions were negated by penalties.

Watts returned this season with the aim of perfecting his craft and it shows in his man-marking marks and improved tackling.

Offensive Player of the Year (first half)

JK: Jeremiah Love
MP: Jeremiah Love
NS: Riley Leonard
NE: Riley Leonard

This ended with a fifty-fifty split. Mason and John opted for a more fan-friendly approach and selected Jeremiyah Love, who many consider to be the most experienced and dynamic player on offense.

What he does with his touches in both the running and passing games is nothing short of sensational, and there is a strong argument that he deserves more opportunities. Love is averaging 12.5 touches per game and just under 7 yards per touch.

Most of those touches come from the running game, where he averages 6.8 yards per carry for a total of 426 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also has 12 catches for 92 yards and 1 touchdown through the air, making him a worthy candidate for Player of the Year.

In contrast, Nick and I went for the more controversial choice and chose Riley Leonard, who has been a polarizing figure among Notre Dame fans this season. On one hand, he started slowly and struggled against NIU. I discussed Leonard’s season in detail here.

On the other hand, Leonard is the quarterback of the No. 12 team in the country and leads an offense that averages 42 points per game against Power 4 opponents. He protects the football, avoids sacks and has averaged more than three touchdowns per game since the NIU loss.

Ultimately, both players deserved this honor midway through the season.

Notre Dame Midseason Defensive Player of the Year

JK: Xavier Watts
MP:Jordan Clark
NS: Xavier Watts
NE: Howard Cross III

It’s simple: Xavier Watts is the team’s overall MVP, which also makes him the best player on defense. While this is factual, I believe Mason had a similar thought process to me and wanted to recognize another player.

Jordan Clark transferred from Arizona State in the offseason and his impact has been felt ever since. He quickly secured the nickel position and was crucial to Notre Dame’s secondary. His numbers – 12 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 2 passes defended – may not be great, but his coverage numbers are consistently good in difficult matchups.

There has been talk that Cross is not yet playing his best football. However, at the midpoint of the season he has 11 tackles for loss and 8 sacks – outstanding numbers for an interior defender. Although his performance has been inconsistent at times, he finds his stride at the right times and makes impactful plays in critical situations.

Notre Dame Midseason Rookie of the Year

JK: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (KVA)
MP: KVA
NS:Anthony Knapp
NE: KVA

We had 3 votes for KVA and 1 for Knapp.

It’s hard to argue against Knapp, who was thrust into one of the most important positions on the field as a complete rookie and handled the pressure admirably. He has a bright future on offense.

KVA is the favorite here, and rightly so. He came to Notre Dame with a lot of hype, much like star linebackers Manti Te’o and Jaylon Smith before him, and so far he has lived up to those expectations. He currently ranks 6th on the team with 19 tackles, 3rd in tackles for loss with 2.5 and has also added an interception. More importantly, his presence is felt during plays, which is crucial for a linebacker.

Notre Dame midseason surprise player

JK: Leonard Moore
MP: Leonard Moore
NS: Boubacar Traore
NE: Adon Schuler

This was probably the most difficult superlative to decide and that is reflected in our answers. Once again, John and Mason teamed up to select the same player: Leonard Moore.

Moore was highly regarded during fall camp and his performance so far has shown that he is well deserving of the hype. With Benjamin Morrison now out for the season with injury, Moore will face even greater challenges as he assumes a starting role for the remainder of the season.

Another player who generated a lot of hype is Boubacar Traore. While he was expected to contribute as a sophomore, few suspected he was having a breakout period before his ACL injury. In just 4.5 games, he recorded 3 sacks, 5 tackles for loss and one interception, leading the team in both sacks and tackles for loss at the time of his injury.

I chose Adon Shuler because Notre Dame brought two veteran defensive backs into the game with the intent of starting them both, and he had the edge as Watts’ starting counterpart. He defeated Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman in his first game, and while he’s been relatively quiet since then, that’s not a bad thing from a safety standpoint.

Notre Dame’s most impactful midseason transfer

JK:Jordan Clark
MP:Jordan Clark
NS:Jordan Clark
NE: Riley Leonard

This was almost a straight win, with both players deserving major credit. Clark wouldn’t have been a pick for any of us in the preseason, but he helped stabilize a defensive secondary that needed to replace talented nickel corner Thomas Harper. Additionally, he has tremendous versatility as a former safety and someone who can also help at outside corner.

I’m the only voice here that selects Leonard. He plays the most important position on the football field and continues to improve every week. If he maintains his performance from the first half of the season, he will finish with 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions.