With the regular season over, there are multiple national awards that have begun the process of trimming down their lists, and multiple Notre Dame stars have made some of them.
The Irish have had a fantastic season, as the team is close to securing its second-consecutive College Football Playoff berth after going 10-2 in the regular season. While it’s not guaranteed that they’ll make it, the possibility if high they will.
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With that comes plenty of star power, who have led Notre Dame to its top-10 ranking. Find out below which Irish players have been named as finalists or semifinalist for national awards.
Running back Jeremiyah Love
The biggest one is the Heisman, which we are all still awaiting the announcement for the finalists. That hasn’t stopped the Walter Camp Award from naming Love a finalist. That wasn’t the only award that has him in contention along with Jadarian Price for the Pony Express Award, given out to the nation’s top running back duo.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock
This is the third time that Denbrock has made it at least this far, as he was a semifinal finalist in 2021 win Cincinnati and then a finalist with LSU in 2023. It’s a bit surprising that he hasn’t won this award, and Denbrock could take it home this year.
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Running back Jadarian Price
Not only the Pony Express for Price, but also the Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in the country. He’s a great running back, and has been one of the best kickoff returns nationally as well. Price could very well win this award.
Cornerback Leonard Moore
No surprise here, as Moore continues to be one of the best in the country. If not for missing a few games due to injury, he would be a shoo in to win the Jim Thorpe Award this year. Even if he doesn’t, Moore is still one of the best corners nationally.
Quarterback CJ Carr
It’s been a stellar redshirt-freshman season for Carr as he is viewed as one of the top first-year performers with the Shaun Alexander Award finalist nod. Not only that, he was named to the Manning Award given to the top quarterback nationally. Carr has a better shot at winning the Alexander, but it says plenty about his inclusion as a Manning finalist.
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Defensive lineman Boubacar Traore
After missing a good portion of last season due to an injury, Traore has come back to play at an even higher level. He’s been consistently getting to the quarterback this fall, with 7.5 sacks and has been a terror for offensive lines.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Which Notre Dame stars are vying for national awards this season
