Why Riley Leonard of Notre Dame Deserves a Spot in the Heisman Top 10

It's always fun when Notre Dame's quarterback is in the Heisman race.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws the ball during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

I did not imagine typing this after Week 2 of the college football season, however, it appears Notre Dame has a Heisman contender on its hands.

Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard has cemented himself within the Top 10 Heisman candidates according to On3 and if he keeps up his recent stellar play it shouldn't surprise anyone if he continues to move up those rankings as Notre Dame stacks more top 25 victories.

NEW: Week 10 On3 College Football Heisman Poll🏆

Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/pk2zNUHy1E pic.twitter.com/7gq6OE4Wn3

— On3 (@On3sports) October 28, 2024

I did not necessarily expect to see Leonard's name listed as a Heisman Trophy contender on Monday, however, Notre Dame has been shown a good amount of love recently by national media which has been a welcome surprise.

Sunday, the Fighting Irish were pegged at No. 8 in the AP Poll, a four-spot jump, and now its quarterback Riley Leonard has been officially named to the Heisman race. What a bye week already and its only Monday!

Upon first glance, Leonard's name is a shock because of the ups and downs he has had so far in his brief Notre Dame career. He started off with a bang, taking down Texas A&M in College Station against his former head coach Mike Elko.

He subsequently followed that up with a poor showing in a loss to Northern Illinois.

However, after taking a deeper look into Leonard's stats, it's clear to see why he has moved into the national spotlight as a guy that could be one of the four Heisman finalists later on this year.

Since the loss to Northern Illinois, we have seen a change in Riley Leonard. It may have taken time, but the Notre Dame signal caller has continued to progress in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock's scheme and it shows.

Leonard has shown growth in the passing game, increasing his completion percentage significantly, while also being a nightmare on the ground for the opposition to defend. He's tallied 11 rushing touchdowns while averaging over six yards per carry.

Allowing the game to come to him and being more patient in the pocket has allowed his receivers to get open down the field and, conversely, has allowed Leonard to run the ball more efficiently now that the opposing defense has to worry more about him beating them over the top.

In his last three games, Leonard is averaging over 175 passing yards and 1.67 passing touchdowns per game, to pair with 55 yards on the ground per game and 1.25 rushing touchdowns. Clearly something has clicked and the nation is noticing.

Riley Leonard during Notre Dame’s winning streak that’s about to be at six games:

— 173 passing yards per game
— 77 rushing yards per game
— 18 total touchdowns
— One interception pic.twitter.com/4BObwUeDBT

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 26, 2024

It's no secret that usually the Heisman winner is a dual-threat quarterback (Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson) and Leonard is just that.

Along with Notre Dame's brand power, if Leonard can continue to put up significant numbers and take Notre Dame to 11-1 and a College Football Playoff berth, don't be surprised if he ends up being a final four Heisman finalist.

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