Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard using NIL deal to give back to offensive line

Notre Dame starting quarterback Riley Leonard was not sacked once against Texas A&M.

Now he is using his NIL brand to show appreciation to his offensive line. The former Duke transfer was set to sign an endorsement deal with Dick’s Sporting Goods for an appearance in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Instead of just pocketing the cash for the solo appearance, Leonard is bringing his entire offensive line. The Notre Dame players are scheduled to meet with fans on Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. All the funds will go to Leonard’s offensive line.

“It means a lot to be able to share an opportunity like this with my teammates, in fact it’s essential to me,” Leonard told On3 in a statement. “I know I’m the quarterback of this team, but we can’t win on and off the field if we’re not doing this stuff together.

“I am very grateful to DICK’S for giving us the chance to connect with fans in such a fun way as a unit and especially to be able to involve my O-Linemen. Things are always better for everyone when they’re around.”

Full details of the contract were not shared with On3, but linemen will be receiving cash and gift cards. Leonard is repped by QB Reps, which also works with quarterbacks at Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Ole Miss.

Leonard was 18 of 30 for 158 yards in Notre Dame’s win at Texas A&M, while also rushing for 63 yards. He completed two must-have passes on the game-winning drive: a nine-yard hookup with Jaden Greathouse on 3rd-and-5 and a 20-yard, contested completion to Beaux Collins.

The Fighting Irish’s offensive line paved the way for 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Notre Dame averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the win over Texas A&M, too.

“I thought he did a really good job in some of his decision-making,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday night about Leonard’s performance. “There were also some decisions that he probably wished he saw something or made a different decision. But he really played the quarterback position well. He did what we asked him to do and that was to take care of the football.”

Riley Leonard’s growing NIL brand

The Notre Dame quarterback has previously done marketing work with Gillette and EA Sports College Football 25. In recent months, he’s inked partnerships with New Era, Hollister and Arthrex. Riley Leonard also signed a season-long agreement with Rhoback valued at $100,000.

He holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.1 million, which ranks in the top 20 of college football. His valuation is No. 32 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

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