Notre Dame Signs Transfer Quarterback Riley Leonard
It's official, Notre Dame has signed Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard as the Fighting Irish enter a new era at quarterback.
Leonard took over as Duke's starter in 2022, and he took over a team that went 10-25 the three previous seasons. He led Duke to a 9-4 record that included wins over Miami and Wake Forest.
In his first season as a starter, Leonard passed for 2,967 passing yards and 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he completed 63.8-percent of his passes. A dual-threat quarterback, Leonard also rushed for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.
This past season Leonard led Duke to a 4-0 start before losing to Notre Dame by a 21-14 score. In the fourth quarter of that game, Leonard led Duke to a late touchdown drive that gave them a 14-13 lead over the Irish. He completed a 26-yard pass to convert an early third down, ran for 33 yards on the next play and then threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead.
Leonard was injured on the final drive of the Notre Dame game and he wasn't healthy the remainder of the season. Duke led Florida State 20-17 in the second half prior to Leonard going down in that game after re-injuring his ankle. Florida State outscored Duke 21-0 after Leonard went down.
If Leonard starts for the Fighting Irish in 2024 it will mark the third time in four years that Notre Dame will start a transfer at quarterback. Jack Coan (Wisconsin) was Notre Dame's starter in 2021 and Sam Hartman (Wake Forest) was the team's starter in 2023.
In three seasons with the Blue Devils, Leonard passed for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 61.7-percent of his passes. He also rushed for 1,224 yards and 19 more touchdowns. That gives Riley 5,674 career yards on offense and 43 touchdowns in 27 games.
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