Which Notre Dame football players are candidates for major awards?

Watch list season is over, and Notre Dame has candidates for 10 major awards entering 2025.

Here’s the full list.

RB Jeremiyah Love: Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Doak Walker Award

Most outstanding player x2,best running back

Love is the near-unanimous top running back in college football entering the 2025 season. He rushed 163 times for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore, adding 28 receptions for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns as a pass-catcher.

While a lingering knee injury hampered him in the College Football Playoff, he still delivered two of the most memorable runs in recent Notre Dame history: a 98-yard scamper to open the scoring in the first round against Indiana and a 2-yard run that included 4 broken tackles in the Orange Bowl against Penn State.

Love looks healthy and then some in fall camp so far. He’s been more involved in the passing game, and he’s tracking for a monstrous 2025 campaign.

CB Leonard Moore: Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award

Defensive player of the year x2, best defensive back

Moore is considered the best cornerback in college football by many outlets after his true freshman season. He was the No. 42 corner in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, but after just one season in a Notre Dame uniform, he has reached top-tier status.

Moore entered the starting lineup midseason and immediately proved he belonged, and then some. He allowed completions on only 46.4 percent of his 56 targets for 293 yards (5.2 yards per attempt), while also earning an 86.5 PFF grade as a run defender. His breakthrough earned him FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as a freshman All-American nod.

LB Drayk Bowen: Nagurski, Bednarik, Butkus Award

Defensive player of the year x2, best linebacker

Something clicked for Bowen, a talented linebacker in his first season as a starter, around Week 8 of the 2024 season. Since then, he’s been one of the nation’s best linebackers. Bowen missed only 5.7 percent of his tackling attempts last year, which ranked second among all qualified returning Power Four linebackers in the country.

Bowen finished 2024 with 78 tackles (including 4 for loss) and a team-high 3 forced fumbles. The punishing Mike linebacker is set to take on a larger role in the Notre Dame defense this season.

OL Aamil Wagner: Outland Trophy

Best interior lineman

Wagner proved himself as one of the steadiest tackles in American last season, starting all 16 games for Notre Dame. His length and agility make him a pain to go up against in both the run and pass game, and his 79.5 PFF offense grade was the third-highest of any offensive starter (Love and Riley Leonard).

OL Billy Schrauth: Outland

Best interior lineman

Schrauth allowed only 8 quarterback pressures in 2024, producing the team’s highest Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade. He did that despite missing four games due to an ankle injury that we would later learn required surgery. Notre Dame thought he could become one of the nation’s best guards last year; he didn’t quite reach that level but he might in 2025 with a full, healthy season.

LB Jaylen Sneed: Butkus

Best linebacker

As of Sunday morning, Sneed still had the upper hand on sophomore Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and redshirt sophomore Jaiden Ausberry to start at Will linebacker next to Bowen at Mike. Entering his fourth year with the program, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker might finally have all the tools he needs to break through.

As a rotational linebacker in 2024, Sneed smashed career highs with 51 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. His contributions as a pass rusher were essential in the CFP, when Notre Dame dealt with several injuries up front. The versatile defender will look to beat those numbers in 2025.

WR Malachi Fields: Biletnikoff Award

Best receiver

Fields transferred to Notre Dame from Virginia, and some outlets are expecting big things from the 6-foot-4, 223-pound boundary receiver. He’s huge, faster than you would expect for his size and comes with a track record of production. Fields put up back-to-back 800-yard seasons despite a shaky quarterback situation with the Cavaliers.

RB Jadarian Price: Doak Walker

Best running back

Price ran 120 times for 746 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and 7 scores last season. None were bigger than his 47-yarder for Notre Dame’s first touchdown of the year, which gave the Irish a 13-6 lead over Texas A&M. Price also ran well when Love (knee) went down in critical games against USC and Georgia. Only Penn State (Kaytron Allen) can say it has a better No. 2 back.

RB Aneyas Williams: Doak Walker

Best running back

Williams’ inclusion on the Doak Walker candidate list was a surprise, but he earned it with his performance down the stretch in 2024. He racked up 131 yards from scrimmage in Notre Dame’s three CFP victories, including 83 in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Williams will be RB3 behind Love and Price, but he will have a role in the offense, particularly on third downs.

C Ashton Craig: Rimington Trophy

Best center

Craig started three games in 2023 and another three in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He’s back for 2025, and the Irish believe he can be one of the nation’s best centers. Craig will anchor what is expected to be a Joe Moore Award-worthy offensive line.