Duke football star Riley Leonard announced he will enter the transfer portal this past Wednesday. Recent reports have suggested some significant interest between Leonard and Notre Dame. Here’s why Riley Leonard and Notre Dame would be the perfect duo.
The 6-foot-4 quarterback led Duke football into the national spotlight for the first time since 2014. Along with that College Gameday visited Duke this year, when they took on the Fighting Irish.
Leonard wound up throwing for 134 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame. He also threw an interception and rushed for 88 yards despite the Blue Devils losing 21-14. However, in that game, Leonard did suffer an injury that ended up derailing his season after a promising start after beating 9th-ranked Clemson.
Career
Leonard’s best year was 2022 when he had his breakout season that showed in many eyes that he is simply built as an NFL pro and can make that leap to the elite level. During that season, he threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions, and posted a 63.9% completion percentage where he was the Military Bowl MVP.
He may arguably be the best overall quarterback entering the 2025 NFL and should be in the conversation for a top 5 pick.
Notre Dame Quarterback Struggles
Ever since Notre Dame legend Ian Book left the Irish to pursue the NFL back in 2021, the Irish have had issues trying to replace him with Jack Coan, Tyler Buchner or Drew Pyne. Neither has amounted to the production level that Book did. The former Notre Dame product was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft. However, Book signed a deal to the Patriots practice squad in 2023 and was later released.
Head Coach Marcus Freeman has never really had “his” quarterback, the previous quarterbacks were from the Brian Kelly era.
Freeman does have a 4-star recruit CJ Carr (via ESPN 300) who will be an incoming freshman. Though there always is the possibility that he could start, it’s very unlikely a true freshman will start at Notre Dame like Brady Quinn or Jimmy Clausen. Those were the last two that did.
Carr does have the tools to be a great college quarterback and could potentially see himself playing on Sundays in the future. However, having a guy who is already pro-ready like Leonard, who can mentor and teach CJ Carr this next season would be a win for everyone. Riley Leonard can use the popularity and the resources of the school and the sports program to further his career, and help Notre Dame win now. While Leonard mentoring Carr could help the Fighting Irish into the future.
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