Seven Notre Dame players named to Pro Football Focus top 101 for 2024 season
Pro Football Focus is naming the top 101 college football players from the 2024 season this week. The list is based on various elements including PFF grades and other premium statistics. It culminates with players No. 1 through 10 on Friday, but Blue & Gold does not anticipate any Notre Dame mentions in the top 10 considering the best players from both sides of the ball have already been highlighted.
The following seven Notre Dame players appeared in the earlier installments of PFF’s release.
16. Safety Xavier Watts
PFF: Last year’s Nagurski Award winner played even better in 2024. His 89.7 overall grade ranked fifth among qualified safeties, and he led that same group with six interceptions. Equally as important is that he raised his run defense grade by 17 points and showed improved tackling ability. Watts was an invaluable piece to Notre Dame’s national championship run.
19. Running back Jeremiyah Love
PFF: The Fighting Irish made it all the way to the national championship game because of its stout defense and dominant run game, the latter of which was largely due to its superstar sophomore. Love finished the year as the second-most-valuable running back in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric, and his 91.0 PFF grade stood fifth. He forced a missed tackle on 38% of his carries, which was second in the Power Four. Love will enter 2025 as the best tailback in college football.
21. Cornerback Leonard Moore
PFF: Moore began his collegiate career without much hype as just a three-star recruit. He’ll enter his sophomore year as the best cornerback in America because of how stellar he was as a true freshman. Moore’s 89.1 PFF grade was third among Power Four corners, while his 81.7 grade in man coverage ranked fourth among all corners in the nation. He finished the year as the third-most-valuable cornerback in the nation according to PFF’s wins above-average metric, trailing only two projected first-round picks in Jahdae Barron and Travis Hunter.
71. Quarterback Riley Leonard
PFF: There might not be any single player from the College Football Playoff who showed more heart, effort and leadership down the stretch than Leonard. 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.
75. Cornerback Jordan Clark
PFF: Clark was an important piece to a Notre Dame secondary that ran as much man coverage as any team in the country. 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.
88. Linebacker Jack Kiser
PFF: The sixth-year captain of Marcus Freeman’s team had a hell of a career in South Bend. You won’t find many tougher football players out there than Kiser, who left it all on the field against Ohio State. Kiser posted his best statistical season in his final year, racking up 75 total tackles and 35 run stops. This earned him an elite 90.5 tackling grade combined with an 86.8 run-defense grade, both ranking in the top 16 among linebackers.
94. Linebacker Drayk Bowen
PFF: Bowen emerged as one of the best young linebackers in college football this season. His 80.7 overall grade was a top-20 mark in the Power Four this season. He was already an elite tackler as a true sophomore, as he missed just five tackles in his 16 games. Bowen will be one of the top returners at his position in 2025.
