Leonard Moore injury update: Marcus Freeman reveals final update on Notre Dame CB vs. Arkansas

The big question before Notre Dame takes on Arkansas this afternoon has to deal with the availability of cornerback Leonard Moore. He’s been questionable all week, but Marcus Freeman joined ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of the showdown to dish on whether or not he’ll be on the field for the Irish.

“You know, he’s getting close. I don’t know if I’m overly optimistic that he’s going to be able to go. But they said, ‘Coach, we’re going to bring him out here in warmups and see how he does.’ He looked good — good enough yesterday that we can’t rule him out,” Freeman told the GameDay crew.

“But at the end of the day, we have to do what’s best for the player and for the team. So, like I said, we’re preparing mentally as if he’s not going to be out there. But if he can go, and he feels like he can help this football team, Leonard will go.”

Alas, Moore didn’t play in Notre Dame’s win over Purdue this past weekend due to a right ankle injury. He did start Notre Dame’s first two games of the season though, recordeding three tackles, two pass breakups and an interception. As a freshman last season, he appeared in all 16 of Notre Dame’s outings and made 10 starts.

He finished the season with 48 tackles, 11 passes defended, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Ahead of the 2025 campaign, Moore was named an Associated Press Preseason All-American First-Team selection and a Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List member.

It’d be nice to have him on the field, as Notre Dame’s defense will be put to the test on Saturday. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green boasts 1,191 passing yards and 12 touchdowns this season, compared to four interceptions.

Green’s arm is far from his only weapon. He’s also Arkansas’ leading rusher, with 360 yards and two scores in the ground game this fall. Notre Dame’s defense can’t afford another weak outing after allowing Purdue to score 30 points in Week 4.

In the win, Notre Dame’s defense allowed 303 passing yards. Earlier this week, Freeman revealed how he intended to mend Notre Dame’s defensive mistakes.

“How do you get them to execute it at a better level or play with the right fundamentals? I think it still starts with a buy-in of, ‘It’s me.’ Everybody,” Freeman said. “Right now, we gotta make sure in our football facility that we’re not pointing the finger at a call. We’re not pointing the finger at, ‘If he would’ve called something else or if he would’ve…’

“We’re pointing the finger at ourselves: ‘What am I not doing to execute this call the right way?’ If I’m confused, then you better speak up and say something, because you’re gonna be held accountable. But if we do this and we do this, we’ll get it fixed, and that’s the challenge during tough times.”

Notre Dame and Arkansas will square off at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ABC. We’ll see if Moore is feeling up to the challenge.

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this article.