NOTRE DAME — The rain splattered against the roof of Mayo Field with a dull thud as Notre Dame went about practice.

Thursday's weather moved the Irish football team indoors for the first time during this year's August camp.

Suddenly, above the screeching whistles and grunting players, a single voice stood out among the golden helmets: “It's raining men! Hallelujah! It's raining men!”

That would be 6-foot-4, 304-pound defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore on vocals.

Throughout practice, Lewis-Moore would belt out words of encouragement, clap his hands or even shimmy into a quick dance move while his fellow defensive linemen ran through drills.

Lewis-Moore — called “Kap” by those who know him — is both the sole senior and the only player with more than a year of starting experience on a young but talented defensive line.

Lewis-Moore went down with a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee in Notre Dame's loss to USC last October. He missed the rest of the season, giving then-freshmen Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt a chance to shine in his starting spot.

The two-year starter healed in the off-season only to find that Lynch had replaced him on the depth chart.

Once Lynch departed for South Florida, Lewis-Moore reclaimed his spot and focused on approaching this season with a new attitude.

“Things happen for a reason.” he said of his injury. “It's taught me a lot of lessons off the field, too. I'm just happy to be there and playing again.”

Take, for instance, his approach to the dog days of pre-season camp.

While the younger players can get restless and agitated, Lewis-Moore knows the feeling of losing the ability to play the game. He knows what it feels like to stand on the sideline and watch young hotshots take his spot.

That's why he dances. That's why he sings.

“I just try to lead by example,” Lewis-Moore said. “Just try to keep things loose, you know, just try to be a battery for the team, for the defensive line. Not every day is going to be a fun day.

“Going back to my knee, (the injury) really taught me that you gotta take the day as it comes. You can either make it a good day or a bad day. Camp might suck, but you still have to do it, so you might as well try to look for something fun.”

Lewis-Moore had that fun in the off-season. He became a staple figure in the front row of Notre Dame home basketball games, waving giant cutouts of Digger Phelps and Tim Abromaitis.

“I said to Mike (Golic Jr.), 'Let's set in the student section for once,'” Lewis-Moore said. “We sad there and just got rowdy and it was so much fun. I really regret not doing that my whole career here. Hopefully I can make it out to some other games like a volleyball game or a soccer game. It's fun being a fan.”

No time for goofing around in the crowd now. Navy awaits in two weeks.

Even though he successfully secured his old starting spot coming back from his knee injury, Lewis-Moore can recognize the talent waiting in the wings.

“We have a lot of depth this year,” he said of this line in comparison to lines from past years. “Every year, you have to adjust to new people, new personalities. (Freshmen) Sheldon (Day) and Jarron (Jones) are really catching on. We're ahead of where we were last year. “

Lewis-Moore isn't just a vocal leader, either. In seven games last season, he racked up 32 tackles — four for a loss — and 1 1/2 sacks and a quarterback hurry.

Despite the frenzy around quarterbacks, receivers and the young cornerbacks, Lewis-Moore has stood out to his head coach in the summer.

“I think he's come back stronger physically,” head coach Brian Kelly said on Thursday. “He's been a great leader for us. His personality has really come out this year. I think he really feels comfortable in a leadership role. So I think all of those things, so he hasn't missed a beat as it relates to that.”

Lewis-Moore drew some eyes on when he intercepted Everett Golson during an 11-on-11

scrimmage on Aug. 8. Media later learned that Lewis Moore's interception was the only pick Golson threw on all 126 pass attempts in August.

Can Kap do it again against the likes of Denard Robinson or Matt Barkley?

“I just gotta read the screen right,” he said. “It just happened, just a play in practice. We laughed about it after practice, but being a young quarterback, you're going to make some mistakes.”