One of the top quarterbacks to enter the transfer portal, Riley Leonard, has made his decision on where he will play football next fall, the University of Notre Dame. Leonard faced the Irish this season, as Sam Hartman and Notre Dame rallied to beat Duke in Raleigh in some late-game heroics.

Leonard had his best year in his sophomore year in 2022, as he passed for nearly 3000 yards, a twenty-to-six touchdown-to-interception ratio while having a quarterback rating above 140. Leonard missed some time this year, getting hurt at the end of the Notre Dame game, and only playing in seven games.

Riley will have a tougher schedule than he had at Duke, having to play on the road against the Texas A&M Aggies and the USC Trojans, and playing at home against Louisville, Florida State, and Stanford. Notre Dame’s schedule has gone down in strength of schedule from last year, but teams like Georgia Tech, Louisville, USC, and Texas A&M are some notable games.

Playing at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is always a tough ask, especially during rivalry week. Florida State may be the most challenging, with or without Jordan Travis, because of the urge to prove to the committee for leaving them out of the college football playoff, even though they went undefeated in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).

Riley Leonard is a dual-threat quarterback, something the Irish have not had in years past, and with Sam Hartman leaving, it is a great replacement and possible upgrade at the quarterback position. Freeman did recruit freshman C.J. Carr, a four-star quarterback from Saline, Michigan, so they may feel he will be ready in 2025 when Leonard is ready to graduate. Either way, this is a great add for Notre Dame at the most important position in college football, especially with the college football playoffs expanding to 12 teams in 2024-25.

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