Riley Leonard

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman isn't afraid to gush about quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred to the Fighting Irish ahead of the 2024 season. “He's a complete quarterback,” Freeman said. “No. 1, he's competitive. I don't want that to be a word that's just thrown out there lightly. That's something that I have a lot of respect for, how competitive you are. You see it by the way he plays in short-yardage situations, his ability to put his shoulder down and say, 'I'm not going to be denied.' But then in the passing game, he can make every single throw. He's accurate, but he also can extend plays with his legs and now he has a true ability to make you respect him by pulling the ball in some of those zone-read situations. What it does is put the defense at conflict. He makes those guys around him better. Those can be through his actions in terms of leadership, but also through his decision-making. He is a great young person. He is a great young man, great parents, a special football player.” While at Duke, Leonard helped transform the Blue Devil program with a pair of high-end seasons. In 2022, he led Duke to one of the biggest turnarounds in college football, accounting for 33 touchdowns. Then in 2023, he led Duke to a win over Clemson in the opener and pushed the Blue Devils to the school's highest national ranking.