Newsstand: What Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard said about Irish commit Deuce Knight
Over the weekend, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard participated in the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. and won the ‘Air It Out Challenge.’
While at the event, Leonard met with reporters, and one of the questions he was asked was regarding a future Fighting Irish quarterback.
Since last September, Lucedale (Miss.) George County’s Deuce Knight, the nation’s No. 53 player and No. 7 quarterback according to the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, has been committed to Notre Dame. Knight has grown strong relationships at his future school which go beyond just the coaching staff and other recruits.
He’s close with a handful of players on the roster and worked out with Leonard, freshman quarterback CJ Carr and Irish wide receivers Beaux Collins, Deion Colzie, Jaden Greathouse, Jayden Harrison, Kris Mitchell and Jayden Thomas in late May in Leonard’s hometown of Fairhope, Ala.
WLOX sports anchor Matt DeGregorio tweeted a video June 28 that included Leonard speaking about Knight.
“He’s always willing to learn, always asking questions,” Leonard said. “For a guy who might be the highest-ranked Mississippi recruit of all time, it’s impressive for him to be as humble as he is. He’s so eager to learn.
“I brought him over to Fairhope to come train with me, and all he did was keep his head down, ask questions, got his reps when he needed to get his reps, had no problems throwing check downs and he’s just a great kid.”
In a previous interview with Blue & Gold, Knight had great things to say about his time with the Irish players.
“The best part was seeing how professional and next level they were,” Knight said. “Riley and the receivers were talking through everything they were doing.
“All of those guys were really good and very welcoming. They treated me like family. It was cool getting to hang around those guys.”
Notre Dame tweets of the day
Quote of the day
“It’s a top-five class. It’s the best class Notre Dame has had in at least 10 years if they hold on to what they have and add Owusu-Boateng and a couple other guys. It’s an exceptionally athletic class, starting with the quarterback. Everyone — even the offensive linemen — are really athletic. They’ve done a great job.”
— Recruiting media legend Tom Lemming on Notre Dame’s 2025 class
