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Newsstand: Notre Dame places two more on PFF top 101 players in college football

IMG_7504by:Jack Soble•about 9 hours•

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NCAA Football: Sugar Bowl-Notre Dame at Georgia
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

Notre Dame placed two more on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players from the 2024 college football season: nickel back Jordan Clark at No. 75 and quarterback Riley Leonard at No. 71.

Clark and Leonard are the third and fourth players to make the list so far (PFF has revealed Nos. 101-61), following linebackers Drayk Bowen at No. 94 and Jack Kiser at No. 88. Additionally, right tackle Aamil Wagner was among the 10 players who just missed the cut.

“Wagner finished 2024 as the fifth-most-valuable tackle in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric,” PFF college football analyst Max Chadwick said. “He posted 70-plus grades both as a pass blocker and as a run blocker.”

Clark transferred from Arizona State and completed a dominant Irish defensive backfield.

“Clark was an important piece to a Notre Dame secondary that ran as much man coverage as any team in the country,” PFF wrote. “Playing primarily in the slot, Clark’s 83.2 coverage grade was a top-15 mark among Power Four cornerbacks. He also broke up six passes and allowed just 9.1 yards per reception.”

Leonard, of course, led the Irish to the national championship game as the starting quarterback after transferring from Duke.

“There might not be any single player from the College Football Playoff who showed more heart, effort and leadership down the stretch than Leonard,” PFF wrote. “While Leonard may forever be limited with what he can do with his arm, his legs more than made up the difference this season for the Irish.

“Leonard nearly broke 1,000 yards on the ground, finishing with 982 total on 173 carries. This earned him an 82.8 run grade which ranks in the top 10 of all quarterbacks.”

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“There aren’t many other places who expect to compete for national titles who have more natural limitations for talent acquisition than Notre Dame. Still, Freeman replaced Brian Kelly and elevated the talent on the roster while making the Irish a tougher out than they’ve been in recent memory. Notre Dame didn’t just capture its first big win in the postseason in decades, it grabbed a few on the way to the national title game.

“The Irish are never going to be a ‘super team,’ but teams are never going to be as deep as they’ve been in the past. Notre Dame has staying power at the top because Freeman brought it there. There were some — cough, me — who would have said that was impossible a few years ago.”

— On3 national college football writer Ari Wasserman on why Marcus Freeman is the fifth-best head coach in college football

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