Will Howard recalls how much communication he had with Notre Dame in transfer portal

The National Championship Game on Monday night is going to be headlined by two transfer quarterbacks, Will Howard for Ohio State and Riley Leonard for Notre Dame. In a rapidly changing sport, those transfers in key roles are another sign of the times.

Ahead of their meeting in the National Championship Game, Howard shared that he did briefly hear from the Irish in the portal. However, he also shared that it seemed like Notre Dame was always focused on Leonard in their own portal efforts.

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“A little,” Will Howard said. “I don’t even remember, honestly, but it was just the beginning of when I first entered. But I think they were pretty set on Riley. So.”

When Leonard entered the transfer portal, he did so with a do not contact tag, asking teams not to reach out to him. The assumption is he already knew where he wanted to go.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had previously been asked if he considered recruiting Leonard out of the transfer portal. However, he echoed Howard’s sentiment that it seemed like Notre Dame and Leonard were focused on one another in the transfer process.

“I think Riley made his decision pretty quickly,” Ryan Day said. “But he is somebody that I’ve respected from afar. Just the way that he competes. He’s a great athlete. He’s got a great mindset. Again, watching him play this year and the toughness and leadership that he brings. You can tell that the offense and the entire team feeds off of him. So, a lot of respect for his game.”

Howard, for his part, was coming as a transfer from Kansas State. However, unlike Leonard, he met with several teams in his recruitment. That included USC and Miami before going to Ohio State in the end.

It’s hard to say that either transfer didn’t work out well. Both quarterbacks have played well while leading their teams to the National Championship Game. For Howard, the numbers are a bit larger. In his 15 games, he’s completed 72.6 percent of his passes for 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He’s also rushed for 169 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Meanwhile, Leonard has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 2,606 yards and 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He’s also rushed for 866 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Now, after they each won three College Football Playoff games, they’re looking for one more against the other.