Notre Dame Football Players in Contention for 2024 Comeback Player of the Year Award

Everyone loves a comeback story, and a few Notre Dame players are in the mix for the Comeback Player of the Year

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) passes at Notre Dame spring football practice Thursday, March 7, 2024, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend. / GREG SWIERCZ / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame's illustrious history is chock-full of comeback stories for the ages.

From Joe Montana in the late 70s all the way up to Brady Quinn a rainy night in East Lansing, Michigan in 2006, these are the players and games that fans cherish and never forget.

Keeping with the spirit of comebacks top of mind, two Irish players are on the list for College Football Comeback Player Of The Year for 2024. They are TE Kevin Bauman and QB Riley Leonard.

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Don’t call it a comeback

Kevin Bauman and Riley Leonard have been named to the College Football Comeback Player of the Year Preseason Watch List#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/uyl6uKzost

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 7, 2024

Bauman Will Have To Battle For Opportunities

Having a healthy Kevin Bauman would be terrific news for Notre Dame. He would certainly add to the tight end depth chart positively and provide his own unique skill set to the group.

That being said, he will have to fight for meaningful snaps if more dynamic players such as Mitch Evans and Eli Raridon are fully healthy throughout the year.

Aside from these two pass-catching monsters, Cooper Flanagan is quickly emerging on the scene as a very capable TE option for the Irish as well.

It's terrific to have Bauman back and it'll be very intriguing to see where he slots into the depth chart picture.

Riley Leonard's Own Team Injured Him, Spurring On Comeback Bid

In the irony of all ironies, Riley Leonard's unfortunate ankle injury occurred while playing against, not for his current team. Seeing Leonard get injured at the very end of the Notre Dame vs Duke game last year was heartbreaking for all involved.

This injury affected Duke's hopes for the rest of the 2023 season and has become an issue for Notre Dame once he transferred to South Bend and required a new plate in his foot during spring ball, which forced him to miss almost all of these critical training sessions.

Riley Leonard Poised For Huge Year

Riley Leonard is truly positioned to have a great year for Notre Dame. Should he remain healthy and get decent help from the rebuilt offensive line, he could be a finalist for multiple awards.

Aside from Leonard's dual skill set as a passer and runner, he has a very diverse and more robust supporting cast of players to distribute the ball to with the Irish than he had at Duke or that recent Irish QB's have had.

- Notre Dame Quarterback Riley Leonard: 5 Thoughts Ahead of 2024 Season

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