Everything Riley Leonard said in first Notre Dame press conference

Riley Leonard has never been to a game at Notre Dame Stadium. The former Duke quarterback had never even been to South Bend before he visited after entering the transfer portal.

He did, however, feel a deep connection to the Fighting Irish.

“Legit, I watched ‘Rudy’ every single day,” Leonard said. “Me and my brother would watch it every single day. So it’s so crazy to be here now.”

That’s not all. Leonard’s great grandfather, James Curran, played for the Irish in the early 1940s. The Fairhope, Ala., native spoke to reporters Friday afternoon for the first time as an enrolled Notre Dame student, and he made it clear that there’s no place he’d rather be.

“I’m coming in, super humble perspective, just so grateful to be here,” Leonard said. “Every day I walk on campus, and just wearing this logo on my chest just means so much to me. Hopefully I can represent it the right way.” 

Here’s everything Leonard said in his first Notre Dame press conference.

Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Why Notre Dame for you?

“It was a really easy decision for me. After I entered the transfer portal and Notre Dame reached out, like, you don’t really turn it down whenever Notre Dame comes and starts calling you. [Notre Dame head] coach [Marcus] Freeman has been unreal. He was the first one to call me after my surgery that I got a couple of weeks ago. And then all the players as well have been super welcoming. I figured that, coming through an institution like this.”

Was it an easy decision to go into the portal? As a veteran quarterback, you almost have to, right?

“The portal was never really anything I really thought of until I got hurt. I was just like, ‘Dude, I got one year left of this.’ I’m a risk-taker. My whole life, I’ve just been a risk-taker. So I was like, ‘I got one shot.’ Twenty years from now, I want to look back and say, ‘I gave it everything I had.’ And I ended up here, and I think this is the best place to get me to my dream of playing in the NFL.”

Were you in touch with [former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad] Parker a lot in the recruiting process? And then what was that like when he left and [new OC Mike] Denbrock came? 

“I committed to Notre Dame with Coach Parker here. But I actually saw him at the [Birmingham] bowl game. He was with Troy at the bowl game and I was with Duke at the time. We were actually at a bowling alley when I saw him. I turned around and he was like, ‘Riley!’ So I’m super happy for him. Being a head coach at a place like Troy, I think he’ll fit in perfectly there. Being a southern guy from I think Kentucky, yeah, he was great.

“And then Coach Denbrock coming in, he’s been incredible. Obviously, you see what he did with Jayden Daniels, so [I’m] excited to see how he can evolve my game.” 

You mentioned surgery. How are you feeling right now? How’s the recovery going?

“I feel great. I’m bouncing around. Obviously no boot, nothing. You probably wouldn’t even realize I got surgery. That story broke a couple days ago. It wasn’t really a secret. I tell people all the time, like I was riding around campus in my electric wheelchair thing, just scooting around. I was embracing it, you know, ‘What’s up?’

“But it’s been good, like it’s been super easy. Rob Hunt and the whole athletic training staff have been great with me. I should be back in a couple of weeks. I’m two weeks in right now and feeling great already, so no problem at all.”

What was the procedure, exactly?

“High ankle tightrope surgery. Yeah, so, in and out.” 

You expect to be ready to go for spring practice?

“Hundred percent. Yeah. I think some people say it’s more stable than it was before, so we’ll see.”

What informed your decision to wait and do it now? 

“I think we all just decided to wait, see if it could heal up. And then we got here and, ‘Ahhhh, you know, we could risk it and play. It ended up healing pretty well. We could risk it and play in spring and maybe in the fall and have no problems.’ But there was a risk of re-injuring it, because it was a little loose. That’s what they said.

“And yeah, so we were just like, ‘Let’s get it done now. It’s January.’ Obviously. I’ve been out for like three months because of my toe. But at the end of the day, it’s still January. We’re still early. So we were like, ‘Knock it out, four to six weeks, six to eight weeks, whatever it is.’ Might as well do it.”

What was tough about playing against the Notre Dame defense last year, and knowing that they got so many of those guys back, what excites you about playing with them?

“That was a huge part of my commitment. Whenever they were recruiting me, I was like, ‘Who’s coming back on defense?’ Because I played around and they were the most high-flying, they were flying around all game. Really, really incredible players.

“So whenever I heard guys like Rylie Mills coming back, Howard Cross, who still owes me dinner. [laughs] I told him there’s a Ruth’s Chris, like right down the road. That was a lot of weight on my ankle. Those types of guys, Xavier Watts, Ben Morrison, who I think is a sophomore now, but just incredible players. Jack Kiser. So yeah, that was an easy, easy decision for me after seeing those guys.”

Have you talked to Sam Hartman about what it means to play quarterback here? 

“We had some long conversations on the phone together, because there obviously is a lot that comes with being a Notre Dame quarterback. He’s coming from Wake, Duke, we’re kind of on the same levels when it comes to like fan bases and media attention and whatnot.

“But coming here, obviously, is another level. Our media day was maybe like a fifth of this. Maybe. So yeah, I talked to him about everything and a lot of the stuff isn’t even football related.” 

Campus-wise, it’s similar?

“Campus is similar. The people, the kids are obviously — I don’t know what the acceptance rate here is, but at Duke and here, every single person you come into contact with are just unreal people, like the best of the best in the country. So, it’s been good getting to know everybody.

“That’s one of the things I did at Duke and I’m doing here, is making friends outside of the football facility. And I do that just by going to the basketball gym. I can’t hoop right now, but just going to hang out with people and meet people. That’s one of the most fun things about this place.”

Workout-wise, are you still able to do most of it?

“Pretty much everything. The only things I’m not doing are, like, sprinting right now. But everything else in the weight room, I’m doing with those guys.”

Did you talk to [former Duke head] coach [David] Cutcliffe at all before you made a decision about coming here?

“Absolutely. Yes, I did. I actually just texted him before I came up here. Me and Coach Cutcliffe have a great relationship. I was able to surprise him when we were down in the Birmingham Bowl. I went over to his house and surprised him, so it was good to see him. And he gave me great advice on how to handle myself.

“And obviously, he’s a huge mentor of mine but also a really close friend at this point, and I call him whenever I have a question about anything in this business.”

He tried to coach here and wasn’t able to quite pull it off. Do you know that story?

“No, I don’t know that story.” 

He was named offensive coordinator, but he had a health issue and couldn’t follow through with it. 

“He’s doing much better now. He’s about as crazy as any of us, man. Whatever health problem he had, he’s doing really well. So I’m happy to hear that.”

Could you describe Fairhope and growing up there, what that was like and how that informed who you have become?

“It’s hard to even describe growing up in Fairhope, Alabama. The community there has been, honestly, one of the biggest drivers for me. Every day I get up, there’s just so many people down there that believe in me and want me to succeed, and it honestly motivates me, maybe more than anything.

“A big part of that is the Christian values that they instilled in me. Every single person I came into contact with affected me in my faith. My high school football coach, all the assistant football coaches, my trainers, every single person in that city that I came into contact with helped me with my faith, and I’m able to bring that here. Obviously, that’s like the most important thing in my life.

“When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking, like, ‘How many touchdowns did I throw? Did we win, did we lose?’ It’s like, ‘Did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my family, did I call my mom? It’s those types of things and it’s those types of Christian values that have really shaped me into the person I am.”

Is there anyone down there that you’ve counseled with about the decision to go into the portal and come up here? 

“Absolutely. Tim Carter, my head football coach in high school. David Morris, my quarterback trainer and QB coach in Mobile. Obviously my mom and dad, and then, you know, pastors. I call a lot of people, because I’m still really close with a lot of people down there. I had conversations with multiple, multiple people.”

You probably weren’t thinking about it when you committed here, but your first game will be against your old coaching staff. 

“I thought about that when I committed. [laughs] Man, it’s so funny texting them. [Former Duke head] coach [Mike] Elko and I obviously have a great relationship, and we’re able to joke around about the fact that we’ll be playing each other.

“And then, of course, he brought a lot of the Duke coaching staff with him, who I’m obviously super close with as well. So I’m gonna have to get out to the game super early, meet everybody and go crack some jokes with them. But yeah, this is gonna be a big one for both of our prides. I’m excited for that.”

Was there any thought of going with him there?

“No, not really. I think we both decided it was time to just do our different paths.” 

Did Elko talk to you about his time at Notre Dame at all?

“He and Chad Klunder were here at one time. Chad was our football ops guy. They both gave me great advice on how to handle myself around here. And obviously, it’s similar to Duke. Just treat everybody with respect, handle yourself in the classroom. Don’t embarrass yourself on the weekend.”

Is your girlfriend still at Auburn, and how did that factor into your decision?

“She was so good with my decision. She secretly wanted me to go to an SEC school. I know she did, because these drives here are crazy. But she never she never said anything like that. She’s been incredible. She’s looking for flights like every day to fly up here, just begging to come up. I’m just always super busy. But yeah, she’s been unreal. Really good.”

You’ve gone out with her for years and years, right? 

“Six and a half years now. It’s been a while.”

When did you realize, away from the football building, that the attention is different as the Notre Dame quarterback?

“The day I took my visit here and stepped off the plane. Whenever you land in South Bend, it’s just Notre Dame football. Like, that’s the only thing. Duke was a little different. You got North Carolina 10 minutes down the road, you got NC State 20 minutes on the road and a lot of the Duke alumni — like here — go all over the country.

“But South Bend, man, I literally landed and you get off the plane and all you see is Notre Dame stuff. The second I landed, I was like, ‘Holy cow.’”

When you first sat down with Coach Guidugli and Coach Denbrock, what were some of the big things they wanted to help you improve upon as a passer? 

“Great question. Priorities No. 1 for me, before I even get into that, are building a relationship with the players and learning the playbook. I think it’s super important to know those things like the back of my hand. Like the playbook, I need to get down before I start diving into too much detail about fixing my game, because if you don’t have the plays, you can’t fix your game.

“But as far as my mindset, I would have liked to have maybe been able to enter the NFL Draft after last season. That means this year, I would have maybe been at the next level. But I’m here, and I need to approach this season like an NFL quarterback.

“So all the intangible things when it comes to playing the game, like how to handle yourself before the game, how to prepare. And then the tangible things on the field — obviously pocket awareness, arm strength — I know all my weaknesses, and I think those are pretty loud and clear. So I’m ready to attack those things and accept that challenge.”