Notre Dame Made A Strong Move With Former Duke Quarterback Riley Leonard
With Notre Dame pushing for a quarterback in the transfer portal, former Duke signal caller Riley Leonard quickly became the name to know for the Irish. It has developed into a pretty deep portal class at the position but from the start, Leonard has been the player they wanted.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Leonard visited Notre Dame on an official visit. It would be his first taste of South Bend firsthand, and when catching up with him during the visit, it wasn’t disappointing.
"The visit is going amazing,” Leonard told Irish Breakdown. "From the campus to the people, it has been a really great experience. It definitely feels like a place I can be comfortable.
"It’s a place for champions that’s for sure,” Leonard continued. "I trust why the coaches are trying to build. They have a great vision for how to build it.”
A big element of this visit was face-to-face conversations with the coaches. They had all made a good first impression but having the personal touch can really make or break a recruitment. That part really checked a box for Leonard.
"They are great people, man,” Leonard said. "I’ve had the chance to get to know all the coaches in a very short amount of time. Those relationships are developing and they are just great coaches and people.”
With Leonard being one of the biggest names in the portal, and at a position like quarterback, a program’s pitch can be huge. For Leonard, he didn’t need any of that from Notre Dame. He firmly understands how special the program is.
"They didn’t need much of a pitch to me honestly,” he said. "The school, brand, education and football speak for itself.”
Now leaving South Bend, there are tentative plans for Leonard to visit both Auburn and Ohio State. With Notre Dame’s impact on him, it will be interesting to see if he ends up making either trip. Regardless if Leonard does, Notre Dame has really separated themselves for the star signal caller. They appear to be firmly in the driver's seat as it stands.
Leonard was limited to parts of seven games this season while dealing with foot and ankle injuries. When he was fully healthy in 2022, he quickly asserted himself as one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in all of college.
While leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 overall record, the 6-4, 215-pound signal caller would throw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns, while completing 63.8 percent of his passes and throwing just six interceptions.
He was also dynamite with his legs that season. Leonard rushed for an additional 699 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry. That type of production earned him Honorable Mention All-ACC honors.
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