When you make the College Football Playoff championship game like Notre Dame did, you are going to have some star power on both sides of the ball.
For the Irish, all of us knew who were the top players, but after winning three games in the CFP, many others now do as well. Pro Football Focus has been releasing its top-101 players of the 2024 college football season, and to no surprise, there were more than a few Notre Dame players mentioned.
Some are extremely obvious, like safety Xavier Watts, running back Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Riley Leonard. The question was where they landed on the list as opposed to if they were going to be on it.
There were a couple of others surprises, but you can find out below which Notre Dame players made the list and what PFF said about them.
No. 16 – Safety Xavier Watts
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Watts once again had a fantastic season. While some of the stats didn’t show that he was as good as his junior year, PFF noted that he played even better. What stood out about 2024 was his run defense, as they graded him out 17-points higher than in 2023.
No. 19 – Running back Jeremiyah Love
It was a breakout many saw coming, but it was still great to see. PFF ranked Love as the No. 2 most valuable back in the country according to their wins above average metric. He was also second in forcing a missed tackle. Expect a huge year as PFF says that he “will enter 2025 as the best tailback in college football.”
No. 21 – Cornerback Leonard Moore
This isn’t where you would have expected to see Moore on his first year on campus, but this is a testament to just how good he was during his freshman season. Strong at both the pass and the run, he ranked inside the top-4 in each in his PFF grade. Like love Moore finished very high on their value chart, No. 3 behind top expected first-round NFL draft picks.
No. 71 – Quarterback Riley Leonard
It was Leonard legs that stood out the most, as he was in the top-10 of the quarterback run grades. Unfortunately, PFF saw what we all knew as well, with him being a bit “limited with what he can do with his arm,” but still proved that he could run a great offense. While he was just with Notre Dame for one season, it was filled with some fantastic memories and great play.
No. 75 – Cornerback Jordan Clark
I honestly didn’t expect to see Clark on this list, but he still played at an extremely high level this past fall. A top-15 coverage grade by PFF stood out, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given how great he was at it.
No. 88 – Linebacker Jack Kiser
The heart and soul of the Irish defense, Kiser gave it his all during his final season. PFF noted that it was the best statistical year of his career, with his tackling grade putting him at an “elite” status. Kiser was also great at stopping the run according the their metrics as well.
No. 94 – Linebacker Drayk Bowen
The most pleasant surprise on this list, Bowen broke out during his sophomore year as PFF saw him as “one of the best young linebackers” in the sport. Another sound tackler for the Irish, they have him missing just five tackles in 2024. The future is also bright with Bowen, as PFF said he’s “one of the top returners at his position in 2025.”
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