These 2 Notre Dame players are top defenders ahead of 2026 college football season

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are entering the 2026 season as one of the teams with a scary defense. They can get a good amount of pressure and cover the top receivers at an elite level, making it nearly impossible to have a good offensive game against them. But which players are close to being the most-feared in the entire nation on that side of the ball? Let’s take a look at one outlet’s list and which Fighting Irish players appear.

Cornerback Leonard Moore ranks 3rd in CBS Sports’ rankings of top defenders

CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford created a list of the 25 most-feared defensive players ahead of the 2026 college football season. It should come to no surprise that Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore was on this list at the third spot. Below is what he wrote regarding Moore:

“Challenging Moore in coverage is a futile proposition for most opposing quarterbacks. Notre Dame’s shutdown corner has emerged as the nation’s premier defensive back entering 2026, thanks to a rare combination of instincts, patience and elite recovery speed. What makes him especially dangerous is how comfortable he is in man coverage. Defensive coordinators love corners who erase one side of the field and allow more aggressive pressure packages elsewhere, and Moore gives the Irish that luxury every week. He’s physical at the line of scrimmage without constantly drawing penalties, and plays the football like a receiver once it’s in the air.”

Moore is the highest-ranked non-edge rusher on the list, behind Texas’ Colin Simmons and South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart. In 2025, he finished with 31 total tackles (23 solo, eight assisted) with a forced fumble, five interceptions, and seven pass deflections. He certainly brings fear in the opposing quarterbacks as he shuts down whoever he is covering.

Notre Dame’s safety Christian Gray also ranks in the top 10

It is great for a team to have one defender in the top 10, but there are two for Notre Dame. Safety Christian Gray is also on this list, listed as the eighth-most-feared defender in the sport. Below is what was said about him:

“This should be — collectively — Marcus Freeman’s most impressive defensive unit of his tenure with the Fighting Irish. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa nearly made this list, but two ballhawks from the secondary inside the top 10 will have to be good enough for the title contenders. Gray is moving from field corner to nickel this season, giving him more room to roam inside in addition to extra coverage duties against option routes from tight ends and running backs. Over nine starts in 2025, Gray notched two interceptions and had at least one pass deflection in six consecutive games to end the campaign.”

Gray being a converted cornerback, certainly helps himself in the secondary. He has the ability to stick as a safety and make the Fighting Irish secondary nearly impossible to go up against. Gray finds ways to be involved in every game and should be able to keep that up heading into the 2026 season. It will be intriguing to see how opposing offensive coordinators attempt to neutralize these defensive weapons.

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