Newsstand: Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore nominated for Allstate AFCA Good Works Team

On Monday, Notre Dame star cornerback Leonard Moore was nominated for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes those who make an impact through community service, academic achievement and leadership through causes ranging from maternal health and youth mentorship to supporting children with disabilities and veterans. Moore is one of 162 college football players who were nominated. The 2026 Good Works Team will be announced in September and will consist of 22 student-athletes. The Irish have had a player make the team in each of the past two years, with offensive lineman Aamil Wagner and linebacker Jack Kiser representing Notre Dame in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was the honorary head coach for the 2024 Good Works Team. According to fightingirish.com, Moore leads initiatives to combat chronic absenteeism and inspire student success through mentorship and accountability with Tackle Attendance South Bend, a community-driven initiative he founded. Focused on creating a culture of accountability and encouragement, the program unites schools, families and local partners to provide mentorship, resources and innovative engagement tools. Tackle Attendance is dedicated to helping students stay engaged, build positive habits and reach their full potential. Moore’s Pro Football Focus defense grade of 92.0 and coverage grade of 92.6 both led all Power Four cornerbacks in 2025. Quarterbacks targeting Moore went 26-of-48 (54.2 percent) for 201 yards, which equates to an extremely low 4.2 yards per attempt. Throwing on Moore was a straight-up bad idea in 2025, which several signal-callers found out the hard way. His masterpiece, though, came in Notre Dame’s 34-24 win over USC on Oct. 18. The Irish had him shadow star Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon, who led the Power Four in receiving with 1,156 yards in 2025, throughout the night. Throwing on Moore was a straight-up bad idea in 2025, which several signal-callers found out the hard way. His masterpiece, though, came in Notre Dame’s 34-24 win over USC on Oct. 18. The Irish had him shadow star Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon, who led the Power Four in receiving with 1,156 yards in 2025, throughout the night. Notre Dame tweets of the day Quote of the day “I think there’s a couple of advantages to having a returning starter at quarterback and one who you believe in. No. 1 is that who’s going to lead your offensive unit and your football team is pretty set, and there’s a lot of very good things that come from that being the case.” — Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to Blue & Gold’s Eric Hansen Headlines of the day Top 25 most important Notre Dame football players of 2026: No. 10 The Gold Standard: Notre Dame football recruiting nuggets on Brayden Parks, more Why Notre Dame is making a big impression on top-100 2028 CB Langston Pridgeon What motivates returning seniors for ND men’s basketball ‘Notre Dame definitely upped their game’: How the Irish stand out to elite 2028 OT Joseph Frierdich Where Wisconsin’s best senior OL are heading for college 48 days until ND football: A strength the Irish can improve even more in 2026 Opponent superlatives: The top defensive units Notre Dame will face in 2026 Opponent superlatives: The top offensive units Notre Dame will face in 2026 The defining storylines from Notre Dame’s historic 2026 recruiting class