As strange as it may sound, for the third season in a row, the best cornerback duo in the country may be at Notre Dame. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has strung together consecutive years of producing and developing elite talent; 2025 is no exception. This room remains elite at the top and gets some much needed depth added to the roster heading into this summer. South Bend will be home to, yet another, elite cornerback room.
2025 Cornerback Roster
This room is loaded with size, length and speed. Rising sophomore Leonard Moore came onto the scene last year against Louisville earning his first collegiate start due to an injury. He then became the full time starter against Georgia Tech after All-American Benjamin Morrison was lost for the season due to a hip injury. Moore finished the season with a team leading 11 passes defended, two interceptions and 48 total tackles. His performance last year earned him a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team and was named the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Moore is joined by rising junior Christian Gray who, despite a few rough patches throughout 2024, was still an impact player in the biggest moments for the Irish. Gray finished the season with nine passes defended, three interceptions and a 98 yard pick six against rival USC. He also had a huge pass breakup on 4th down against Texas A&M in the opener and a game sealing interception in the Orange Bowl which put the Irish in prime position to kick the game winning field goal.
Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith will likely be the starter at nickel this season. He started and played in all 12 regular season games for the Crimson Tide a season ago. Smith has yet to allow a touchdown reception in his career and has tons of big game experience. He’s played against Georgia, Wisconsin on the road, LSU on the road, Oklahoma on the road and Tennessee on the road, and that was just last season. At the top of the depth chart, Mickens has a lot of experience and elite athleticism to work with, but filling in behind them is what makes this group really exciting.
Post Spring Analysis
We saw limited action from Gray and Moore throughout the spring, and what we did see didn’t surprise anybody. They’re still really good. With that being said, it’s promising they aren’t letting their successes or struggles from last season distract them from this upcoming season; Moore and Gray are using it as fuel for this fall.
What we did see, however, is some young players step up and build out depth this spring. Rising sophomore Karson Hobbs had, arguably, the best spring in the entire room. Hobbs flashed his speed, physicality and athleticism during the Blue Gold game. There were questions surrounding the overall depth of the cornerback room, but Hobbs’ emergence this spring solidified himself as the No. 2 corner at both field and boundary.
True freshman early enrollee Cree Thomas also had a promising spring. The 6-1 186 pound Arizona native proved to be a very smooth athlete. He came from the same high school as Morrison, and the two have remained close throughout the offseason. Thomas has the ability to make an impact on defense and special teams this upcoming season and has benefitted from being an early enrollee. With that being said, Notre Dame brings in two cornerbacks this summer that will make the rotation conversation really interesting and exciting to follow.
Summer Arrivals
Two of Notre Dame’s highly touted recruits come to South Bend this summer. First, is Florida native Dallas Golden. Golden was a threat on offense, defense and special teams throughout his high school career. He was a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 72 rated player in the country by Rivals. His technique at corner is a bit raw, but his athleticism and playmaking ability is off the charts. He has the ability to play multiple positions on defense alone. Golden enters this summer in a prime position to be a factor in the cornerback rotation and on special teams as a returner. The 6-0 180 pound corner will be an exciting player to watch for years to come in the blue and gold.
Indianapolis native Mark Zackery will be joining Golden this summer. The 6-0 170 pound corner is the more natural cover player of the two and had a strong junior and senior season. Zackery was also a consensus four-star recruit and was named 2024 Indiana Mr. Football. He was ranked in the top five in the state by every major recruiting service and the No. 15 ranked corner in the country by On3. Zackery is a very smooth athlete and his coverage ability is reminiscent of Morrison’s. He is also an outstanding athlete; Zackery made plays on both sides of the ball and was also the starting point guard on the Ben Davis basketball team when they went 33-0 and won the state championship in 2022.
Moving Forward
Even though this is an elite position group, there are still things they will have to work on to become a championship caliber unit. As promising as last season was, the corners are still relatively young and have their best football ahead of them. Here are some of the things we need to see from the cornerback room from now until the end of fall camp.
1. Build On Last Season – Moore and Gray had great seasons respectively for Notre Dame and were a big factor in the Irish maintaining the best passing defense in college football in multiple categories. They will have to carry that momentum into the 2025 season. Gray had some mishaps last season that will have to get cleaned up, especially in the post season. Moore needs to continue ascending and not let the hype around him cloud his vision of becoming the best cornerback in college football for years to come.
2. Develop The Young Talent – Smith, Moore and Gray are proven guys who are all but locks to start this season barring injury. However, the talent behind them is extremely inexperienced. Hobbs only appeared in eight games last season and totaled 83 snaps. Thomas, Golden and Zackery are all true freshman that haven’t stepped on a collegiate field yet. Fifth year senior Chance Tucker returns from injury this offseason but he will have to get reacclimatized due to being absent for over a year. Mickens will have to develop the young talent in the room this season in case their number is called while the three proven players in the room have to hold them accountable as leaders to make sure they’re doing the right things on and off the field.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2025 Depth Chart
2025 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings – Offense
2025 Commit Rankings – Defense
2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
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As strange as it may sound, for the third season in a row, the best cornerback duo in the country may be at Notre Dame. Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has strung together consecutive years of producing and developing elite talent; 2025 is no exception. This room remains elite at the top and gets some much needed depth added to the roster heading into this summer. South Bend will be home to, yet another, elite cornerback room.
2025 Cornerback Roster
This room is loaded with size, length and speed. Rising sophomore Leonard Moore came onto the scene last year against Louisville earning his first collegiate start due to an injury. He then became the full time starter against Georgia Tech after All-American Benjamin Morrison was lost for the season due to a hip injury. Moore finished the season with a team leading 11 passes defended, two interceptions and 48 total tackles. His performance last year earned him a spot on the FWAA Freshman All-American Team and was named the FWAA Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Moore is joined by rising junior Christian Gray who, despite a few rough patches throughout 2024, was still an impact player in the biggest moments for the Irish. Gray finished the season with nine passes defended, three interceptions and a 98 yard pick six against rival USC. He also had a huge pass breakup on 4th down against Texas A&M in the opener and a game sealing interception in the Orange Bowl which put the Irish in prime position to kick the game winning field goal.
Alabama transfer DeVonta Smith will likely be the starter at nickel this season. He started and played in all 12 regular season games for the Crimson Tide a season ago. Smith has yet to allow a touchdown reception in his career and has tons of big game experience. He’s played against Georgia, Wisconsin on the road, LSU on the road, Oklahoma on the road and Tennessee on the road, and that was just last season. At the top of the depth chart, Mickens has a lot of experience and elite athleticism to work with, but filling in behind them is what makes this group really exciting.
Post Spring Analysis
We saw limited action from Gray and Moore throughout the spring, and what we did see didn’t surprise anybody. They’re still really good. With that being said, it’s promising they aren’t letting their successes or struggles from last season distract them from this upcoming season; Moore and Gray are using it as fuel for this fall.
What we did see, however, is some young players step up and build out depth this spring. Rising sophomore Karson Hobbs had, arguably, the best spring in the entire room. Hobbs flashed his speed, physicality and athleticism during the Blue Gold game. There were questions surrounding the overall depth of the cornerback room, but Hobbs’ emergence this spring solidified himself as the No. 2 corner at both field and boundary.
True freshman early enrollee Cree Thomas also had a promising spring. The 6-1 186 pound Arizona native proved to be a very smooth athlete. He came from the same high school as Morrison, and the two have remained close throughout the offseason. Thomas has the ability to make an impact on defense and special teams this upcoming season and has benefitted from being an early enrollee. With that being said, Notre Dame brings in two cornerbacks this summer that will make the rotation conversation really interesting and exciting to follow.
Summer Arrivals
Two of Notre Dame’s highly touted recruits come to South Bend this summer. First, is Florida native Dallas Golden. Golden was a threat on offense, defense and special teams throughout his high school career. He was a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 72 rated player in the country by Rivals. His technique at corner is a bit raw, but his athleticism and playmaking ability is off the charts. He has the ability to play multiple positions on defense alone. Golden enters this summer in a prime position to be a factor in the cornerback rotation and on special teams as a returner. The 6-0 180 pound corner will be an exciting player to watch for years to come in the blue and gold.
Indianapolis native Mark Zackery will be joining Golden this summer. The 6-0 170 pound corner is the more natural cover player of the two and had a strong junior and senior season. Zackery was also a consensus four-star recruit and was named 2024 Indiana Mr. Football. He was ranked in the top five in the state by every major recruiting service and the No. 15 ranked corner in the country by On3. Zackery is a very smooth athlete and his coverage ability is reminiscent of Morrison’s. He is also an outstanding athlete; Zackery made plays on both sides of the ball and was also the starting point guard on the Ben Davis basketball team when they went 33-0 and won the state championship in 2022.
Moving Forward
Even though this is an elite position group, there are still things they will have to work on to become a championship caliber unit. As promising as last season was, the corners are still relatively young and have their best football ahead of them. Here are some of the things we need to see from the cornerback room from now until the end of fall camp.
1. Build On Last Season – Moore and Gray had great seasons respectively for Notre Dame and were a big factor in the Irish maintaining the best passing defense in college football in multiple categories. They will have to carry that momentum into the 2025 season. Gray had some mishaps last season that will have to get cleaned up, especially in the post season. Moore needs to continue ascending and not let the hype around him cloud his vision of becoming the best cornerback in college football for years to come.
2. Develop The Young Talent – Smith, Moore and Gray are proven guys who are all but locks to start this season barring injury. However, the talent behind them is extremely inexperienced. Hobbs only appeared in eight games last season and totaled 83 snaps. Thomas, Golden and Zackery are all true freshman that haven’t stepped on a collegiate field yet. Fifth year senior Chance Tucker returns from injury this offseason but he will have to get reacclimatized due to being absent for over a year. Mickens will have to develop the young talent in the room this season in case their number is called while the three proven players in the room have to hold them accountable as leaders to make sure they’re doing the right things on and off the field.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2025 Depth Chart
2025 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings – Offense
2025 Commit Rankings – Defense
2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
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Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5
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