Riley Leonard Is Ready To Make The Most Of His Notre Dame Experience
Football’s offseason is officially here. With Super Bowl 58 in the rearview mirror, the next meaningful football game, high school, college or professional, that will be played is six months away. The most meaningful upcoming events on the football calendar are the NFL Draft Scouting Combine, spring football and April’s NFL Draft.
New Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard could be preparing for the combine like former Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman and the 300-plus other participants who will be in Indianapolis in less than two weeks, but he’s not. An ankle injury suffered in last September’s loss to Notre Dame ironically set him on a path to transfer from Duke to Notre Dame with his sights set on improving and preparing for the 2024 season.
"As far as my mindset, I would have liked to have maybe been able to enter the NFL Draft after last season,” Leonard explained during a recent interview. "That means this year, I would have maybe been at the next level. But I'm here, and I need to approach this season like an NFL quarterback. All the intangible things when it comes to playing the game, like how to handle yourself before the game, how to prepare and then the tangible things on the field — obviously pocket awareness, arm strength — I know all my weaknesses, and I think those are pretty loud and clear. So, I'm ready to attack those things and accept that challenge and get better at all those things I’m not very good at.”
Leonard did not name any on-field specifics that he wants to improve, but jumping into his new playbook has been one of his top priorities since coming to Notre Dame. The other priority has been connecting with his new teammates.
"I think it's super important to know those things like the back of my hand,” Leonard remarked. "Like the playbook, I need to get down before I start diving into too much detail about fixing my game, because if you don't have the plays, you can’t fix your game.”
Leonard spent his first three seasons at Duke, where he totaled 4,450 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, 1,224 rushing yards, and 19 rushing touchdowns. He only played in eight games last season due to the ankle injury he suffered against the Irish in September and a toe injury later in the season. He could have finished his career at Duke, but ultimately chose Notre Dame as the place to cap his college playing days.
"It was a really easy decision for me,” Leonard said. "After I entered the transfer portal and Notre Dame reached out, like, you don't really turn it down whenever Notre Dame comes and starts calling you. Coach (Marcus) Freeman has been unreal. He was the first one to call me after my surgery that I got.”
Leonard had never been to Notre Dame before he visited in December and then made his decision to transfer, but he had a handful of connections. His great grandfather, James Curran, played for Frank Leahy and the Irish in the early 1940s. There is also a certain movie about a walk-on player who had early influence on Leonard.
"I watched Rudy every single day (growing up),” Leonard said with a smile. "Me and my brother would watch it every single day. So, it's so crazy to be here now. I'm coming in, like, super humble perspective, just so grateful to be here. Every day I walk on campus, and just wearing this logo on my chest just means so much to me. Hopefully I can represent it the right way.
Both of his former Duke head coaches, David Cutcliffe and Mike Elko, spent time in South Bend previously as well. In a unique twist, the first game Leonard plays for Notre Dame will be against Elko, who will lead Texas A&M on the field against the Irish on Aug. 31 in College Station, Texas.
"I thought about that when I committed," Leonard laughed. "Man, it's so funny texting them. Coach Elko and I obviously have a great relationship, and we're able to joke around about the fact that we'll be playing each other and then of course, he brought a lot of the Duke coaching staff with him, who I'm obviously super close with as well. So, I'm gonna have to get out to the game super early, meet everybody and go crack some jokes with them. But yeah, this is gonna be a big one for both of our prides. I'm excited for that.
"The portal was never really anything I really thought of until I got hurt,” Leonard continued. "I was just like, ‘Dude, I got one year left of this.’ I'm a risk-taker. My whole life, I've just been a risk-taker. So I was like, ‘I got one shot.’ Twenty years from now, I want to look back and say, ‘I gave it everything I had.’ And I ended up here, and I think this is the best place to get me to my dream of playing in the NFL.”
For Notre Dame, if Leonard's last shot is a success he could end his career leading a team into the College Football Playoff.
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