Notre Dame's secondary is among best in nation, according to Pro Football Focus College
Notre Dame's defense has earned yet another accolade, and we still haven't played a down of the 2025 college football season yet.
Pro Football Focus College has the Fighting Irish secondary listed at third in their roundup of the top 10 secondaries. They're in the top five behind Texas and Alabama and ahead of Clemson and Ohio State.
Advertisement
This even with Xavier Watts and Benjamin Morrison headed to the NFL. The growth of players like Leonard Moore and Christian Gray, plus the return of veteran Adon Shuler and the addition of Devonta Smith from Alabama have PFF feeling good about the back end of Notre Dame's defense.
Here's a bit of what PFF said: "The Fighting Irish made the national championship game last year off a dominant ground game and an elite secondary. Considering Notre Dame has PFF's No. 2 running back unit and our third-ranked secondary, that blueprint should remain the same in 2025."
Let's hope that blueprint isn't just the same, but better.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Advertisement
Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame's secondary considered among top five in the nation
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
35 minutes ago
- USA Today
Notre Dame commit Chaston Smith heads to Five-Star Showcase
Future Fighting Irish corner to join over 100 other players .@chastonsmith_4 ✈️ RIVALS FIVE-STAR4⭐️ Chaston Smith is officially LOCKED IN to join 100 of the best prospects in the country to compete in Indianapolis on June 23-24 🔥 Notre Dame commit Chaston Smith is heading to Indianapolis to take part in the Five-Star Showcase next week. The four-star corner cornerback from the class of 2026 will be one of 104 high-school players gathering at the Indianapolis Colts' practice facility on June 23-24. The event is a chance for these players to show off their skills. Players will compete in various events such as fastest man, a bench-press challenge, individual one-on-ones, a lineman challenge and 7-on-7 competitions. Former NFL players will coach the young prospects. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
PFF: What do the Bills still need to 'think about' during the 2025 NFL offseason?
The Buffalo Bills front office has geared up the team for another run at a Super Bowl in 2025 but Pro Football Focus is not convinced all the work is done just yet. The football analytics outlet broke down one item each NFL team still needs to "think about" this offseason. For Buffalo, it relates to linebacker Matt Milano. Milano has undoubtedly been one of the best players at his position in football during his career but the issue that has popped up for him is his health. Because of that, Milano and the Bills reworked his contract this offseason and he's in the final year of his deal in 2025. What PFF thinks the team needs to keep in mind moving forward is the status of Milano's future... but none of that can be determined until next season begins. PFF's breakdown on Milano can be found below: Milano is entering the final year of his contract, though there are two void years attached that the Bills could convert if he wants to keep playing. But if this is his last year in Buffalo, how does the team feel about the rest of the linebacker group? Terrel Bernard struggled last season on his way to a 48.2 PFF overall grade, ranking 83rd among 90 linebackers, but the Bills signed him to a four-year extension this offseason, so he's not going anywhere. Dorian Williams wasn't much better (58.2) and is now halfway through his rookie deal. Could Buffalo look to make a big splash at linebacker in the 2026 NFL Draft?
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Where does the Iowa football 2026 recruiting class rank after Cash Herrera's decommitment?
Following the decommitment of three-star quarterback Cash Herrera, Iowa football's 2026 recruiting class currently consists of nine players. Depending on the site, Iowa has anywhere from one to three four-star prospects, with the rest of the class regarded as three-star commits. The Hawks have focused heavily in the trenches, with six of the nine commits in the class being either an offensive or defensive lineman. Certainly Kirk Ferentz and recruiting director Tyler Barnes are high on this class, but what do national recruiting sites think? Site are mixed on Iowa football's 2026 recruiting class Iowa's 2026 class has an aggregate ranking of 47th across 247Sports, On3 and Rivals. ESPN released their top 25 recruiting classes for 2026 and Iowa was not featured among the 25 teams or in the honorable mentions. Here's where each individual site currently ranks Iowa football's 2026 recruiting class: What's next for the 2026 class? While the national rankings don't look great, it's important to note that it's still early in the process. At this time last year, Iowa's 2025 class had only eight commits. The Hawkeyes finished with 16 signees and the country's 42nd-ranked class according to the averaging ranking from those three sites. Iowa's eight commits are tied for the fourth-fewest in the Big Ten. Only Michigan, Oregon, Maryland and Nebraska have fewer commits at this time. As the Hawks add more commits, their national and conference rankings will continue to rise. Iowa is hosting a number of key visitors this weekend, including uncommitted targets CJ Hester, Julian Manson, Kasen Thomas, Darion Jones and Mason Lewis. There's also the transfer portal, which Iowa will be able to hit after the 2025 season. The Hawkeyes are bringing in nine transfers this season and will continue to look to the portal going forward. With upcoming visit days, the 2025 season and the transfer portal to follow, Iowa's 2026 recruiting class should start to climb the rankings soon. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
