Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard receives lofty and unreasonable comparison to NFL All Pro signal caller
Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard has been instrumental to the success for Notre Dame football, and is a huge reason they currently sit with a 14-1 overall record and will compete in the national championship in just over a week. Leonard has accounted for 3,472 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season. From a talent […]
Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard has been instrumental to the success for Notre Dame football, and is a huge reason they currently sit with a 14-1 overall record and will compete in the national championship in just over a week. Leonard has accounted for 3,472 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season.
From a talent perspective, there’s a lot to love about the Alabama native. At nearly 6-4 and 216 pounds, Leonard is an incredibly gifted athlete. He’s timed in the 4.5s in the forty-yard dash in the past, and is equally as physical as he is straight-line fast. Just from an athleticism perspective, you won’t find many better than Leonard, just watch his high school basketball highlights.
As a passer, Leonard also has a talented arm. It’s flexible, and he can snap off the football with minimal effort. The problem is that he doesn’t trust his eyes consistently, and his mechanics working from the pocket are spotty at best. It led to a lot of inconsistency in 2024.
While there is a lot to nitpick on Leonard’s game, there is also a lot to love. He also has a very unlikely supporter in media personality Colin Cowherd. The known Notre Dame hater does not typically have a good thing to say about the Fighting Irish, but Cowherd clearly has a soft spot for Leonard. He put out quite the comparison on X during the 27-24 victory over Penn State.
Outside of being tall and having the same skin complexion, there aren’t too many things that are comparable between Leonard and Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. Leonard has a good frame, but Allen is over an inch taller and is 20 plus pounds heavier. Allen also has a much stronger arm. Leonard would probably win in a foot race, but otherwise, Allen is just a different type of athlete at the position.
Notre Dame has one more test in front of them, and look to finish one of the most unlikely stories in college football in recent memory. If they do, you can bet that Leonard will have a big part in it. They will need him to channel his inner Josh Allen down the stretch.
