Riley Leonard super excited as he gears up to face Will Howard & Co. in the national championship game
Notre Dame is one step from a national title, and quarterback Riley Leonard has been one of the Fighting Irish's biggest leaders. That role hasn't been by mistake as the quarterback and Duke transfer has met with his leadership coach, Jeremy Boone, each week to prepare for the games ahead.
None are more important than the one against Ohio State in Atlanta on Monday night. In a clip of the ESPN+ documentary "Inside the College Football Playoff" released by ESPN College Football's X page on Monday, viewers got a glimpse into Leonard's behind-the-scenes work, ensuring he guides his teammates the best he can.
"I was first introduced to Riley when Riley was in high school — I think his junior year," Boone said in the documentary. "Riley has the heart of a leader. The sense of a leader is different because you have to pause, you've gotta be aware of what's going on around you."
Boone asked Riley Leonard about Notre Dame's energy as the game nears. The contest is undoubtedly the Fighting Irish's biggest since playing Alabama in the BCS National Championship game in 2013.
"Dude, we're itching," Leonard said. "You know, we're itching. This isn't easy to do, especially, like, having a lot of young guys and stuff. It's like, 'Boys, I've always dreamed of this.'"
It wasn't at all a sure thing that Riley Leonard and Notre Dame would be in this spot, not after an upset home loss to Northern Illinois early in the season. Since then, though, the Fighting Irish haven't lost.
What impact has Riley Leonard made on Notre Dame this season?
Since relocating to join Notre Dame, Leonard has thrown for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns. He's likely to set career-bests in completions and could do the same with air strikes against the Buckeyes.
Riley Leonard was at the top of Notre Dame's signal-caller wish list last off-season. With one year of college eligibility remaining, he joined the Fighting Irish and was thought to be an immediate starter even then. A big reason Riley Leonard landed with Notre Dame was because his great-grandfather, James E. Curran, played for the team.
Before winding up in South Bend, Leonard made his mark at Duke, where he guided the team to a win over Clemson and lifted the Blue Devils to a No. 16 national ranking, the program's best since 1994, on the way to a 9-4 record.
With Duke, he passed for 4,450 yards and accounted for 43 touchdowns in 27 games.
Leonard's counterpart in the national title game is another transfer passer, Will Howard. Howard joined Ohio State after previously playing for Kansas State and has helped the Buckeyes in a similar way.