Leonard Moore shines as Notre Dame defense opens fall camp ahead of schedule

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- While much of the offseason conversation has centered on Notre Dame’s offense, it was the Irish defense that stole the spotlight on the opening day of fall camp Thursday.

Defensive coordinator Chris Ash believes the unit has made significant strides since this time a year ago, calling the group bigger, faster and stronger despite acknowledging there is still plenty of work ahead.

Ash said he wants his defense to play with relentless intensity.

“We want guys playing like their hair’s on fire,” Ash said. “We want the guys to play fast and violent. We want to be fundamentally sound and disciplined enough to execute the call. When you combine speed, violence and execution, some really cool things can happen when you’ve got talented players.”

One of the day’s most encouraging developments came at linebacker. Kyngston Viliamu-Asa continued progressing in his recovery from a second ACL reconstruction suffered last November. Although he did not participate in full-contact periods, he took part in every other portion of practice, including seven-on-seven drills, another positive step toward being available for Week 1.

Fellow linebacker Jaiden Ausberry said the room has never been closer, and it showed on the practice field. Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed both played with the aggressive style Ash has emphasized throughout camp, while the entire linebacker group appeared noticeably bigger than last season.

The biggest standout, however, was in the secondary. Cornerback Leonard Moore looked every bit like an NFL-caliber defensive back, consistently disrupting receivers throughout practice and rarely allowing clean separation. Moore was arguably the most impressive player on the field during Thursday’s session.

Ash also singled out cornerback Jayden Sanders as one of the defense’s most improved players entering camp, and Sanders backed up that praise with a strong opening practice.

Notre Dame will continue fall camp Friday and Saturday as the coaching staff evaluates depth and competition across the roster, but after one practice, Ash’s defense already appears to be ahead of where it was entering last season.