What does it mean? Riley Leonard to Notre Dame

As expected, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will transfer to Notre Dame after visiting South Bend over the weekend. The Irish landed their successor to Sam Hartman, beating out Auburn for the Alabama native’s services. 

A dream come true. Go Irish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/2Ft09Ho4uj

— Riley Leonard (@rileyleonard13_) December 12, 2023

Head coach Marcus Freeman entered the offseason eying an upgrade at quarterback, and considering Leonard’s toolset (6-4, 225 with a live arm and plus-athleticism), the Irish just might’ve. 

Among the 80+ quarterbacks to enter the transfer portal thus far this cycle, Leonard has among the highest-upsides, with many believing he could’ve been a Day 2 NFL Draft pick had he not been injured for most of the 2023 season. 

Leonard led Duke to a 9-4 season in 2022, logging 33 touchdowns to just six picks with over 3,600 total yards (No. 3 in the ACC). He then led the Blue Devils to an upset over Clemson in the 2023 opener, but three weeks later, he injured his ankle badly in the loss to Notre Dame, which hampered him the rest of the season. Leonard fought back to return to the field two weeks later against a Top 5 Florida State, but he was clearly limited and struggled to produce as a passer or runner. He finished the season with just 1,102 passing yards and only three touchdowns, shutting it down the last month of the year. 

Riley Leonard doesn’t come to Notre Dame with Hartman’s resume or ACC records, but his dual-threat abilities could actually help open up an offense that was still too one-dimensional at times last season. He’s still fairly raw as a passer (inaccurate on intermediate throws), but he has a good deep ball, can outrun linebackers and is tough as hell. 

He’s been comp’d to the likes of Ryan Tannehill and Desmond Ridder, the latter of whom was coached at Cincy by current Irish QBs coach Gino Guidugli. 

Now it’s up to Guidugli and Notre Dame OC Gerad Parter to figure out to tap into Leonard’s strengths and build an offense around him. 

Leonard will have a much better supporting cast at Notre Dame. We just don’t know what that looks like yet. 

The Irish must replace many of their best players off last season’s unit, as four wideouts (including team-leading pass catcher Chris Tyree) entered the portal and starting tackles Joe Alt, a likely Top 10 pick, and Blake Fisher are off to the NFL. Star tailback Audric Estime is also expected to declare for the draft after rushing for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns. 

Notre Dame has quality bodies waiting in line at offensive tackle, but receiver is now an area the Irish must continue to hammer to best position Leonard for success. They already have a commitment from FIU’s Kris Mitchell, who had over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 — better individual numbers than any ND receiver since Chase Claypool in 2019 — and they landed Clemson’s Beaux Collins on Monday, too. 

But they need more than just two transfer wideouts, which is why Washington State’s Josh Kelly, Vandy’s Will Sheppard and others are all targets, too. 

Still, Notre Dame has its guy, and the Irish are in a better place today after locking down their QB1 for 2024.