Former Duke quarterback and Fairhope native Riley Leonard will transfer to Notre Dame, he announced on Tuesday.
Leonard, who played in just seven games in 2023 due to ankle and toe injuries, has one season of eligibility remaining. He follows in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, who played at Notre Dame in the late 1930s.
“Notre Dame is a place where you can feel the history and championship mindset everywhere you go,” Leonard told AL.com. “The hospitality there among the coaches, players, and administrators is second to none. It’s a program everyone wants to be a part of and I’m grateful that this opportunity opened for me.”
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Leonard was a two-sport star at Fairhope High School and had small-college opportunities to play basketball before signing with Duke in football. His only other Power 5 offers were from Ole Miss, Nebraska, Syracuse and Vanderbilt.
In three seasons at Duke, Leonard passed for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions while also rushing for 1,224 yards and 19 TDs. His best season came in 2022, when he passed for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns with just six interceptions while also rushing for 699 yards and 13 scores.
Leonard led Duke to an upset of Clemson in Week 1 this season, but suffered a right ankle injury late in a loss to (ironically) Notre Dame on Sept. 30. He returned three weeks later vs. Florida State, but re-injured his ankle, then hurt a toe on the opposite foot the following week against Louisville and missed the remainder of the regular season.
