Notre Dame QBs: The Stats That Prove They Have 'That Dog' in Them

Notre Dame's Riley Leonard takes a licking and keeps on kicking - the true signs of a DOG

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard looks for an open receiver during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Louisville at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

You've heard for years football players being referenced as "having that dog in them" but may wonder what exactly that means.

If you've played sports, been in a competitive class, or worked in almost any environment, you have seen those that just produce and get things done regardless of circumstances. No matter the challenge, they simply get stuff done.

In few words, that's the best I can do describing what "having that dog in you" means.

When your kid is sick, work calls are persisting, and the basement is taking on water yet your wife finds a way to manage it all, that's having that dog in her.

Former Coastal Carolina head coach David Bennett's press conference regarding being more like dogs was a hit over a decade ago and somewhat spoke to the meaning as well.

New Metric Measures DOG in College Quarterbacks

Bill Connelly creates a variety of advanced statistics for ESPN and released a new one Thursday that speaks to that DOG mentality. He was asked about creating a DOG metric in honor of what quarterback Diego Pavia is doing at Vanderbilt and he certainly didn't disappoint.

Connelly released his findings on Thursday and perhaps as little surprise to anyone, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is among the nation's best when it comes to that DOG factor.

Never let it be said that I don't take suggestions.

Introducing DOG IN HIM, measuring the QBs who best combine (a) doing stuff, (b) taking hits and (c) being good. Diego Pavia leads the 2024 DOG IN HIM rankings and has had the No. 16 DOG IN HIM career over the last 10 years. pic.twitter.com/jxAzAqXQ0k

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 17, 2024

Former Notre Dame Quarterback Among Biggest DOGS of Last Decade

If you watched Ian Book play at Notre Dame from 2016-2020, you saw a quarterback that had a lot of those DOG traits.

He was able to escape tackles, extend plays, throw on the run, and create something out of seemingly nothing as well as any Notre Dame quarterback in recent memory.

Connelly ran his numbers for the past decade and wouldn't you know, Book nearly cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 11 over the past 10 years.

His 93.9 DOG IN HIM percentage put just behind notable quarterbacks Caleb Williams (USC) and Drake Maye (North Carolina) and just ahead of Hedon Hooker (Tennessee) and Matt Corral (Ole Miss) in recent years.

Finally, a stat that speaks loudly to the previously unquanitfiable.

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