Football

Despite CFP loss, Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard 'happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows'

By Kevin Mercer Jan 22, 2025
Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard points to a faith-based wristband after his touchdown, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Riley Leonard’s time as the quarterback at Notre Dame may have ended with Monday’s 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, but for him, his few short months as a member of the Fighting Irish was nothing short of a resounding success for the only Kingdom that truly matters.

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“I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the opportunity to play in this game,” Leonard said as the first words of his postgame press conference. “I wrote on my hand Proverbs 27:17, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so shall one man sharpen another.’

“I think, like I said throughout the week, [Notre Dame] and Ohio State were the two teams who praised Jesus Christ the most, and I think that we strengthened each other in our faiths through coming to this game and competing against each other. I’m happy to see Godly men come out on top, no matter what the circumstance is. I’m very happy to praise Jesus in the lowest of lows, as well.”

The national championship game began promising enough for the Irish faithful, as Leonard promptly led his team on an 18-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by his touchdown plunge from one yard out. He ran the ball nine times alone on the opening drive and 17 times in the game for 40 yards and the touchdown, and he also completed 22 of 31 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns.

After his first-quarter TD run, with the TV cameras pointed at him, Leonard pointed to a wristband on his right wrist, which listed his favorite Bible verse: Matthew 23:12. It reads, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Leonard also sported a wristband with a cross on his left wrist, to go with the “Proverbs 27:17” written on his left hand that he mentioned in the press conference.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was asked in the press conference to reflect about what it’s meant to have players like Leonard and sixth-year senior linebacker Jack Kiser come through the program.

“I told these guys, they’ve left this program better — I don’t care if you were here for one year or you’ve been here for six years; our program is in a better place because of the examples these two have set, and many other leaders in that locker room,” he said.

Leonard — who was born in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and moved to Fairhope, Alabama, when he was young — arrived in South Bend, Indiana, in December 2023 as a transfer after having played three seasons at Duke. With the Irish, Leonard became one of the best quarterbacks in the country. This season, he completed a career-high 269 passes on 403 attempts for a career-high 66.7% completion percentage, 2,861 yards and a career-high 21 touchdowns. He also ran 184 times for 906 yards and 17 touchdowns, all career highs as well.

Yet despite all of the improvements he made as a football player, Leonard will remember his time at Notre Dame primarily by his development as a person and all those who helped him along the way.

“Off the field, you can walk into that locker room and every single one of those people, you’re going to leave impressed by, if you just had a simple conversation with them,” Leonard said in the press conference. “The character of this place, it’s kind of hard to describe. I think I’ve grown so much just because of the people around me.”

 

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Leonard’s time as a college player has come to a close, but at just 22 years old, his football career is just getting going. He has accepted an invitation to compete in the 2025 Senior Bowl in front of NFL scouts from every franchise. The Senior Bowl will take place in Mobile, Alabama, on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2:30 p.m. ET, and the 2025 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 24-26.

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