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Notre Dame

Five Notre Dame players named preseason All-Americans by national college football magazines

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•07/11/25•

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Drayk Bowen
Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen. (Mike Miller/Blue & Gold)

Five Notre Dame players have been named preseason All-Americans by at least one of the three major national college football magazines: Athlon Sports, Lindy’s Sports and Phil Steele’s.

Here is the full list.

RB Jeremiyah Love

First team per Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to find a preseason All-America first team without Love on it this year. He is the near-unanimous top running back in college football entering the 2025 season.

Love rushed 163 times for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore, adding 28 receptions for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns as a pass-catcher. While a lingering knee injury hampered him in the College Football Playoff, he still delivered two of the most memorable runs in recent Notre Dame history: a 98-yard scamper to open the scoring in the first round against Indiana and a 2-yard run that included 4 broken tackles in the Orange Bowl against Penn State.

CB Leonard Moore

First team per Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele

Moore is considered the best cornerback in college football by several outlets after his true freshman season. He was the No. 42 corner in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, but after just one season in a Notre Dame uniform, he has reached preseason All-American status.

Moore entered the starting lineup midseason and immediately proved he belonged, and then some. He allowed completions on only 46.4 percent of his 56 targets for 293 yards (5.2 yards per attempt), while also earning an 86.5 PFF grade as a run defender. His breakthrough earned him FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as a freshman All-American nod.

LB Drayk Bowen

Third team per Athlon, fourth team per Phil Steele

Something clicked for Bowen, a talented linebacker in his first season as a starter, around Week 8 of the 2024 season. Since then, he’s been one of the nation’s best linebackers. Bowen missed only 5.7 percent of his tackling attempts last year, which ranked second among all qualified returning Power Four linebackers in the country.

Bowen finished 2024 with 78 tackles (including 4 for loss) and a team-high 3 forced fumbles. The punishing Mike linebacker is set to take on a larger role in the Notre Dame defense this season.

OT Aamil Wagner

Second team per Athlon

Wagner proved himself as one of the steadiest tackles in American last season, starting all 16 games for Notre Dame. His length and agility make him a pain to go up against in both the run and pass game, and his 79.5 Pro Football Focus offense grade was the third-highest of any offensive starter (Love and Riley Leonard).

WR Malachi Fields

Fourth team per Phil Steele

Fields transferred to Notre Dame from Virginia, and some outlets are expecting big things from the 6-foot-4, 223-pound boundary receiver. He’s huge, faster than you would expect for his size and comes with a track record of production. Fields put up back-to-back 800-yard seasons despite a shaky quarterback situation with the Cavaliers.

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