Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman unveils a new potential strategy that could solve some major issues for the Fighting Irish defense

Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman spoke to the media on Monday to preview their matchup against Arkansas. He had an interesting potential fix for the defense.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Sep 13, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) reacts after a play against the Texas A&M Aggies during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Notre Dame football just finished up their third game of the season on Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers, but it is safe to say that the Fighting Irish have a defensive problem… still. Even during the team’s 56 to 30 victory over the Boilermakers, Chris Ash’s defensive group had more than its fair share of struggles. During those first three games, Ash’s unit has allowed nearly 33 points per game, and surrendered over 300 yards passing each of the last two weeks. Frustration over that once elite defense has been the main topic of conversation for the Irish fanbase.

With the likes of Arkansas, Boise State, NC State, and USC on the horizon, Notre Dame is about to see some very talented quarterbacks, and some offensive attacks that can be a lot to handle if this defense doesn’t start showing some needed growth. Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to the media on Monday about the preparation for their trip down to Fayetteville. Outside of Coach Freeman’s insistence that the defensive woes are built off of lack of execution, he did offer some thought to a wrinkle that could be interesting to watch.

Freeman was asked about All-American cornerback Leonard Moore, and his potential to shadow the top wide receiver on the opposing team. He not only didn’t shoot the idea down, but Freeman actually has had deep conversations with his staff about the possibility.

“He is as good as I have been around at the position,” Coach Freeman told the media. “We have had discussions if we need to match him up with the best wide receiver where he’s at, we will. You also have to be able to do that and play some zone. We can’t just tell the offense, ‘Hey, we are playing man.’ No defense is good enough to just say we are playing man every play, and just stop them. We have considered that. We have talked about it. We need to get him available and ready before we can do that. That might be this week. He is still questionable, but we will see if that is what we decide to do.”

Well… that’s interesting

Until something drastic changes, Notre Dame fans are probably going to have to come to terms with the fact that this pass defense under Ash probably isn’t going to get a ton better. The one bright spot on the back end is Moore, who is arguably the best cornerback in all of college football. The 6-2, 195-pound cover man can erase one side of the field when he is at his best, and getting him back potential from that ankle injury would be massive.

The idea of letting Moore travel with the best wide receiver might be the best case scenario for this team, especially if we see more man coverage during the rest of the season. Moore has the talent to win the majority of his 1-on-1 matchups, which would bolster this defense right now. When the Irish are playing some of the better passing offenses they will see this season (looking at you USC and Makai Lemon), letting him try and take the best pass catcher out of the game would be a huge boost to this team.

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