With the college football season less than two weeks away from starting, many Notre Dame football stars have gotten preseason honors and that didn’t stop on Wednesday.
The USA TODAY released its 2026 preseason All-American team and two Irish players made their list. To no one’s surprise, cornerback Leonard Moore was placed on the first-team, as he has proved to be one of the top players in the country, regardless of position.
Notre Dame also placed a second-teamer in guard Anthonie Knapp, who is making the move inside after starting his career at tackle. Playing on the interior better suits his size and playing style, as he’ll be able to be a mauler without having to deal with faster edge rushers.
While it is great to see two Irish stars make USA TODAY’s preseason All-American team, you have to wonder if they missed the ball on a few of the other players. Safety Brauntae Johnson had a monster 2025, but was passed over for others who have similar stats. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa or quarterback CJ Carr would have been solid picks as well, but clearly they went in a different direction.
It will be interesting to come back to these to see how close they are to being correct, as there could be more than just two Notre Dame players earning All-American honors in 2026.
Who are the best of the best players in college football? The USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America team selects the elite at their positions. https://t.co/JyEs8iY6VX
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 19, 2026Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Two Notre Dame stars named to USA TODAY’s preseason All-American team
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