Why did NFL Draft prospect Riley Leonard transfer from Duke to Notre Dame?
Riley Leonard will be just one of a handful of
Notre Dame
stars waiting
anxiously to find out where they will land
in the
NFL
Draft this coming week.
On Thursday, the 2025 edition of the NFL Draft will get underway in Green Bay, with Leonard expected to be a late-round selection.
The 22-year-old
nearly ended his college career with a
storybook finish after he transferred to Notre Dame
for the 2024 NCAA season from Duke.
And during his lone season with Notre Dame, he helped guide the Fighting Irish to the
National Championship
game, which Leonard and co. ultimately lost to
Ohio State
.
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However, the decision to transfer to Notre Dame for his senior season almost certainly improved Leonard's draft stock. Following an injury plagued 2023 season with Duke, Leonard transferred to Notre Dame, throwing for 2,861 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
On the ground, Leonard also proved a threat too, adding 904 yards on 184 carries for an average of nearly five yards. He also scored 17 rushing touchdowns.
And his decision to transfer to South Bend to join the Fighting Irish was due to several different factors, with Leonard outlining the talent of the players he would be playing with, and the level of coaching he would be receiving as standouts for joining Notre Dame.
Leonard led the Fighting Irish to the National Championship game earlier this year
(Image: Getty)
Speaking to ESPN last year, Leonard,
via On3
, said: "So it's a couple things [on why he chose Notre Dame]. No. 1, the players. On my official visit, we took a dinner downtown, and that's kind of what ended up convincing me, that I wanted to go there.
"You walk into the locker room every day, you want to be around guys that just have your back, and are great people, on and off the field, and Notre Dame's got it. The coaching staff, as well. You've got to throw that I there. The coaching staff plays a big part."
And then his focussed turned to the impact of playing for offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who coached the likes of LSU stars Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. during the 2023 season - with all three going on to be selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
'Obviously, you have a coordinator like Mike Denbrock, coming from LSU, where Jayden Daniels obviously had a great year, so I'm exciting to get into that offense," added Leonard.
"He always say we've got the keys to the car, so to be able to operate an offense like that, that'll be a lot of fun for me.'
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