The Miami Hurricanes rose as the first team to derail Notre Dame’s national title hopes in 2025. Miami’s narrow 27-24 season opening victory became one of two costly losses for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame and Miami trended in the opposite direction from there. The latter played for the national championship. But the former shut its season down after receiving a College Football Playoff snub.
One Notre Dame defender can’t shake off that Week 1 defeat. Cornerback Leonard Moore visualizes what could have been from that Notre Dame-Miami showdown.
Early bulletin board material landed somewhere inside Miami’s facility now thanks to him. Moore dropped the kind of words that immediately sparks intrigue for the November 7 rematch between the storied college football programs in South Bend.
Leonard Moore Confident Already for Miami Showdown
The unanimous All-American safety spoke with Pete Nakos of On3/Rivals about last season’s disappointments despite going 10-2.
Moore’s Irish team got passed over by the likes of Texas Tech, Tulane and James Madison in the postseason. All because Notre Dame plays an independent schedule, whereas the aforementioned three programs won their conferences.
Moore spoke vibrantly about the 2026 Fighting Irish with Nakos. Including Moore boasting confidence in his team when Miami shows up for the rematch.
“I look forward to every opportunity,” Moore told the college football insider. “Especially against a team we lost to last year. By the time we get into the season, I’ll probably have some pent-up anger from last season.”
Moore wasn’t done thinking about “The U.” He popped off these five words bound to snatch some eyeballs in Coral Gables.
“We’ll be ready for them,” Moore said. “But most of all, we’ll be ready for Game 1.”
Where Notre Dame Ranks Among Toughest Miami Opponents
Head coach Marcus Freeman and Moore lead a national title contender this season. The latter brings NFL intrigue to the field as a potential top 10 draft pick by April 2027.
Moore’s return alongside having quarterback CJ Carr back at the controls fuel Notre Dame’s national title hopes. But Miami presents a massive hurdle for Notre Dame to scale once the calendar swings to November.
Miami faces a cupcake schedule to launch its pursuit of a national title, meanwhile. They get an Atlantic Coast Conference rival to start the season with Stanford on the road. This Cardinal team even breaks out a new head coach in Tavita Pritchard, and he gets Mario Cristobal in this coaching showdown.
Florida A&M comes next as the opener inside Hard Rock Stadium. Then it’s Wake Forest entering the picture as Miami’s first true challenge in the early portion of 2026. The Demon Deacons overachieved by finishing 9-4 under Jake Dickert during his first season with the team.
Notre Dame surfaces early as Miami’s toughest foe, regardless of conference or non-conference opponent.
Miami Built to Contend Once Again
Cristobal and the Hurricanes produced a massive offseason collection of wins. Swiping Duke quarterback Darian Mensah away rises as their biggest victory. The dual-threat follows Carson Beck and Cam Ward as the latest portal finds to lead the offense.
But Miami put together the nation’s No. 8 recruiting class too for the 2026 cycle. Five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell looks ready to replace the New York Giants bound Francis Mauigoa on the blindside.
Cristobal created a championship caliber contender since his return to the alma mater. No doubt the Nov. 7 showdown comes equipped with national championship game implications. Moore’s summer bulletin board material adds more fuel to that fire.
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