The Notre Dame football turns to Leonard Moore after a corner

ATLANTA – Saturday’s 31-13 win over Georgia Tech wasn’t the first start of Leonard Moore’s football career at Notre Dame.

The talented freshman cornerback had last month’s Louisville experience — 76 high-intensity woofing plays — fresh in his memories.

But this was the first time Moore played for the Irish without team captain Benjamin Morrison in uniform. That’s why it was so reassuring every time Moore’s phone rang this week with another message from the absent All-American.

“It means a lot,” Moore said Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “He’s having surgery, he’s going through this, but he still takes the time to talk to me. He sent me a message before the game saying he trusted me and so on. That was good to see.”

In the 31:24 win against Louisville, Moore played cornerback in place of the injured Christian Gray. All Moore did was lead the Irish with seven tackles.

This time, Moore started in place of Morrison, who was out for the season after undergoing hip surgery during the week. This time it was Moore who played to the limit, where physical altercations can occur and traffic causes confusion.

He had no intention of abandoning Morrison.

Moore had seven tackles by halftime and finished the game with two pass breakups, a team high.

“It’s definitely just crazy circumstances,” Moore said. “Sad to see. I’m still all for praying B-Moe right now. We love him more than anything. You never want to see that, especially with a player as good as B-Moe.”

At the start of the week, Morrison’s teammates wanted to be there for him as much as possible. They still think that way, but they also knew they had a dangerous opponent in Georgia Tech.

“The rest of the week we had to be locked in and prepared,” Moore said. “I just try to prepare like a beginner, even in the weeks when I haven’t started, in case an opportunity arises. B-Moe was very confused during the season, so I always had to be ready for my time.”

Morrison, still projected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, contributed as a de facto assistant coach.

“You can’t make up for the loss of Benjamin Morrison with one person,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “He continues to lead. He watched film and gave coaching points to our guys in the hospital. That’s the type of guy he is.”

Freeman shook his head at the dedication of a three-year starter.

“He sends them film, really the young guys — Karson (Hobbs), Leonard — that they coach,” Freeman said. “That’s the kind of leader and person he is.”

In the next breath, Freeman bragged about Moore, the freshman from Round Rock, Texas.

“He’s special,” Freeman said. “We can’t replace (Morrison) with one man, but damn, Leonard did a great job.”

Like Morrison in 2022, Moore didn’t enroll until June.

Like Morrison in 2022, Moore doesn’t wait for permission to be great.

“We knew Leonard was special from the moment he arrived on campus,” Freeman said. “When does the opportunity present itself to him?”

Senior backup Chance Tucker underwent knee surgery. Jaden Mickey, a junior with three career starts, entered the transfer portal. And now Morrison is done with the year and potentially heading to the NFL.

Where does that leave Moore? He seems well prepared for the spotlight.

“You definitely have to have confidence, especially as a cornerback,” Moore said. “What Ben told me is that you shouldn’t think about it like you’re a newbie. Just think about it while you just go out and play football. Don’t give yourself excuses. Just go out and guard your man.”

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With Leonard Moore there is no “boundary play”.

After practice on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Al Golden was asked what Moore showed to gain so much confidence so early in his career.

“Maturity,” Golden said. “Really a mature child. Prepare well. Athletic and (has) the necessary intellect. Does what you ask. In practice, he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He deserves the trust there.”

The physical part, standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 191 pounds, completes the package.

“He has really good length and plays hard,” Golden said. “He also excels in the running game, which is a great trait.”

Did we mention that undefeated Navy next faces the Irish on Saturday at MetLife Stadium? Moore seems ready for the challenge.

“There’s a lot (of running) coming my way, especially at the boundary,” Moore said generally. “I have to be there to set the edge and make sure they don’t get a lot of yards if they pick at the boundary.”

The recruiting process can give coaches an idea of a potential player’s character and maturity, but until that player is in your building day in and day out, some guesswork still needs to be made.

“You try to get an idea through your interactions or the way they interact with their parents or our players or coaches,” Golden said. “But you never know until they get here.”

Seven games into Moore’s first year, he already seems to be a known quantity.

“Just business,” Golden said. “With him you don’t have to worry about any nonsense. It’s all about football.”

When asked after Saturday’s game about the source of that precociousness, Moore remained matter-of-fact and matter-of-fact.

“It’s just because I’m a level-headed person,” he said. “I know my mission. I just have to carry out my assignment to take care of it. I’m just always fixated and focused on what I need to get done – I feel like that’s where it comes from.”

With Moore, there seems to be a lot more where this comes from.

“The only guarantee in life is that the future is uncertain,” Freeman said. “So just keep preparing. Take care of the opportunities that come your way and then you’ll get the opportunity to do it in front of thousands and millions of people and be ready to perform – just like Leonard.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

With Leonard Moore there is no “boundary play”.

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