Greg McElroy calls Riley Leonard a 'great fit' at Notre Dame, compares skillset to 'a young Jayden Daniels'
As Marcus Freeman dove back into the transfer portal to get a quarterback for the second straight year, he came across someone he coached against last year. Riley Leonard committed to Notre Dame after the departure of Mike Elko, giving the Fighting Irish a dual threat after the departure of Sam Hartman.
Leonard isn’t the only high-profile addition for the Notre Dame offense, though. After Gerad Parker left to become the head coach at Troy, Freeman brought Mike Denbrock back to South Bend as offensive coordinator after he helped develop Jayden Daniels into a Heisman Trophy winner last season.
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said that partnership makes Leonard an even more exciting addition for Notre Dame. In fact, he sees similarities with the way Daniels played before he played for Denbrock.
“I think it’s a great fit,” McElroy said of Leonard on College Football Live. “And I actually think that his skillset is pretty similar to that of a young Jayden Daniels, who Mike Denbrock – the new offensive coordinator – really did a tremendous job developing over the last couple years. He has great mobility. I mean, a tremendous athlete, a guy that can create with his legs.”
As a passer, Leonard threw for nearly 4,500 yards at Duke, including 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns in his lone full season in 2022. But McElroy said he has plenty of room to grow. Leonard’s accuracy on the shorter passes makes him stand out. If he can find a groove in the medium and long-range passing, he can add even more excitement to the Notre Dame offense.
“The underneath accuracy is also excellent,” McElroy said. “So on the short throws, running around, he is awesome. One thing that he’s just got to grow with a little bit are the intermediates and the deep ball, because that’s the next step of the evolution. Because if he can start hitting those with more regularity, the sky is the limit.”
Why Greg McElroy is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about Riley Leonard, Notre Dame in 2024
The other part of the equation for Notre Dame is the receiving corps. The Fighting Irish’s wide receivers have had a rough go over the last few years, but they have some promising pieces this year from the transfer portal and the recruiting trail.
Jaden Greathouse showed flashes last year with Hartman at quarterback, and Notre Dame brought in some experience from the portal with Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell. In addition, the Fighting Irish landed four-star Cam Williams on the recruiting trail. He was the No. 47 overall player and No. 11-ranked wide receiver from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Those weapons, along with running back Jeremiyah Love, are huge for Riley Leonard as he takes the reins. They’re also why McElroy said he sees some upside in the offense under Denbrock’s leadership.
“The big thing, though, with Notre Dame – it was for Sam Hartman, and it’s been really for the last few years – is that the wide receiver position as a whole has kind of underperformed,” McElroy said. “This group, though, has played quite a bit. They’ve added a couple veteran transfers. So I’m cautiously optimistic that the passing attack, as a whole, is going to be more consistent heading into this season.”