Riley Leonard

Early life

Leonard was born in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and moved to Fairhope, Alabama when he was in kindergarten. Leonard attended Fairhope High School where he played football and basketball. As a senior, he passed for 1,900 yards and 25 touchdowns and had 500 rushing yards. He committed to Duke University to play college football, but also received offers to play college football from Nebraska, Syracuse, and Tulane, among others. Leonard also played basketball in high school, receiving offers to play college basketball from programs like Saint Mary's, North Alabama, Samford and Missouri State.

College career

Leonard played in seven games and made one start as a true freshman at Duke in 2021. For the season, he completed 37 of 62 passes for 381 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Leonard was named the starting quarterback entering his sophomore season in 2022. On November 29, 2023, Leonard announced he would be entering the transfer portal. On December 12, 2023, Leonard announced he would be transferring to Notre Dame. In his only season with the Irish, he led the Irish to an 11–1 record and a berth in the new 12-team College Football Playoff after a stunning upset loss to Northern Illinois in week 2. The Irish finished the regular season #5 in the AP Poll and clinched the 5th seed in the College Football Playoff pole. In the first round, Notre Dame defeated Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium, which was followed by wins over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Penn State in the Orange Bowl, which sent Notre Dame to the National Championship Game for the first time since 2012. In the National Championship Game, the Irish lost to Ohio State, 34–23, ending the season as national runner-up and a #2 final ranking in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, the highest finish for Notre Dame since 1993. The Irish finished the season with 7 wins over ranked teams, the most in a single season in school history, and finished 7–1 against ranked teams, with their only loss being in the National Championship Game. Notre Dame finished with an overall record of 14–2, the most wins in a single season in school history.

Personal life

Leonard is a Christian. He proposed to his high school sweetheart, Molly Walding, on July 10, 2025. The couple were married on March 28, 2026, in Fairhope, Alabama.