The good ones
It’s college football award watch list season, and on Tuesday, Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore were named to the Nagurski Trophy watch list.
From the ND press release:
Bowen, Moore Named to Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior linebacker Drayk Bowen and sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore have been named to the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, an award recognizing college football’s best defensive player in character and performance.
An Irish player has won the Nagurski Trophy on two occasions: linebacker Manti Te’o (2012) and safety Xavier Watts (2023). Shane Walton was a finalist in 2002, while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a finalist in 2020.
Bowen started all 16 games for the Irish in 2024 and totaled 78 tackles (40 solo), ranking third on the team. He led the team in forced fumbles with three on the season.
He split the team lead in tackles in the National Championship, totaling eight (seven solo). He also forced a fumble, giving the Irish possession in the fourth quarter. Bowen also made an impact in the 27-17 CFP First Round win over Indiana, posting 1.5 TFL and two QB hurries. Two of his stops came on third down. He posted a career-high nine tackles in the 31-13 win at Georgia Tech.
Moore, also on the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a Walter Camp Preseason First-Team All-American, enters his true sophomore season after being named the FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the Freshman All-America teams for FWAA, ESPN, The Athletic (First Team), Pro Football Focus, the College Football Network and the 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team.
In 2024, Moore started 10 games and totaled 48 tackles with two interceptions, 2.0 TFL, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry. In the first two starts of his career, he totaled seven tackles in each.
He made his mark in several games for the Irish en route to wins in the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl and an appearance in the 2025 CFP National Title game. In the regular season finale at USC, he recorded five pass breakups, tied for the second-most in a single game by any FBS player in 2024, and the only freshman in the country to achieve the feat last season.
Both players contributed heavily to making the 2024 Irish defense one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. At the end of the season, Notre Dame was first in pass efficiency defense (104.4), first in turnovers gained (33), first in defensive touchdowns (6), first in blocked kicks (6), second in fumbles recovered (14), second in blocked punts (3), fourth in passing yards allowed (169.4), fourth in scoring defense (15.5), fifth in passes intercepted (19) and 11th in total defense (307.4).