ATLANTA — Saturday’s 31-13 win over Georgia Tech wasn’t the first start of Leonard Moore’s Notre Dame football career.
The talented freshman cornerback had last month’s Louisville experience — 76 plays of high-intensity woofing — in his memory banks.
But this was the first time Moore had ever played for the Irish without team captain Benjamin Morrison in uniform. That’s why it was so reassuring every time Moore’s phone buzzed this week with another message from the absent All-American.
“It means a lot,” Moore said Saturday evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “He’s in surgery, he’s going through it, but he’s still taking his time to talk to me. He sent me a message before the game that he has his trust in me and everything like that. That was good to see.”
In the 31-24 win over Louisville, Moore was playing field corner in place of an injured Christian Gray. All Moore did was lead the Irish with seven tackles.
This time Moore was the one starting in place of Morrison, out for the season after undergoing hip surgery during the week. This time it was Moore playing to the boundary, where things can get physical and traffic leads to confusion.
He wasn’t about to let Morrison down.
Moore had seven tackles by halftime and finished with two pass breakups, a team high.
“It’s definitely just crazy circumstances,” Moore said. “Sad to see. I’m still for praying B-Moe right now. We love him to death. You never want to see that, especially for a player as good as B-Moe.”
Early in the week, Morrison’s teammates wanted to be there for him as much as possible. They still feel 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, even the weeks where I wasn’t starting, to prepare like a starter just in case the opportunity arises. B-Moe had been shaken up a lot during the season, so I always had to be ready for my time.”
Morrison, still projected for the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, did his part 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 was watching film, giving our guys coaching points in the hospital. That’s the type of guy he is.”
Freeman shook his head at the devotion of a three-year starter.
“He’s sending them film, really the young guys — Karson (Hobbs), Leonard — coaching them up,” Freeman said. “That’s what type of leader and person he is.”
In the next breath, Freeman found himself bragging on Moore, the freshman from Round Rock, Texas.
“He’s special,” Freeman said. “We can’t replace (Morrison) with one guy, but, dang, Leonard has done a great job.”
Like Morrison in 2022, Moore didn’t enroll until June.
Like Morrison in 2022, Moore isn’t waiting around for permission to be great.
“We knew Leonard was special from the time he got on campus,” Freeman said. “It was just when does his opportunity present itself?”
Senior backup Chance Tucker had knee surgery. Jaden Mickey, a junior with three career starts, entered the transfer portal. And now Morrison is done for the year and quite possibly on to the NFL.
Where does that leave Moore? In a spotlight he seems fully equipped to handle.
“You definitely have to be confident, as a cornerback especially,” Moore said. “What Ben told me is don’t think about it like you’re a freshman. Just think about it as you’re just going out there and playing football. Don’t give yourself any excuses. Just go out there and guard your man.”
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After Tuesday’s practice, defensive coordinator Al Golden was asked what Moore had shown to earn so much trust so early in his career.
“Maturity,” Golden said. “Really a mature kid. Prepares well. Athletic and (has) the intellect to go with it. Does what you ask. Rarely makes the same mistake twice in practice. That’s where he earns the trust.”
The physical part, at 6-foot-2 and 191 pounds, rounds out the package.
“He’s got really good length and he plays strong,” Golden said. “He shows up in the run game, too, which is a great attribute to have.”
Did we mention unbeaten Navy is up next for the Irish on Saturday in MetLife Stadium? Moore sounds ready for the challenge.
“Especially on the boundary, a lot of (run) comes my way,” Moore said, speaking in general. “I have to be there to set the edge and make sure they don’t get a lot of yards picking on the boundary.”
The recruiting process can give coaches an inkling of a prospect’s character and maturity, but there’s still some guesswork until that player is in your building day after day.
“You try to get an idea through your interactions or the way they interact with their parents or interact with our players or coaches,” Golden said. “But you never know until they get here.”
Seven games into Moore’s freshman year, he already seems like a known quantity.
“Just all business,” Golden said. “You don’t have to worry about any nonsense with him. It’s all about football.”
Asked after Saturday’s game to share the source of that precociousness, Moore was on brand and matter of fact.
“It just comes from me being a level-headed individual,” he said. “I know my assignment. I just have to execute my assignment to take care of it. Just always being locked in and focused on what I have to get done — I feel like it comes from that.”
With Moore, it seems, there’s plenty more where that came from.
“The one guarantee in life is the future is uncertain,” Freeman said. “So just keep preparing. Take care of the opportunities you have in front of yourself, and then you get an opportunity to do it in front of thousands and millions of people and be ready to perform — like Leonard is.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Analysis: Notre Dame football turns to mature Leonard Moore at corner
