Getty Image / Thearon W. Henderson
Notre Dame relied on a big-time transfer portal quarterback in Sam Hartman in 2023 en route to a 9-3 regular season record. And, it appears that they’re going back to the well once again, as the team seems likely to land former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard when the portal opens on Monday.
Leonard starred for Duke the last two seasons before battling injuries this year. But, there’s no doubt that he helped elevate the program alongside now-departed head coach Mike Elko, who is now off to Texas A&M.
In 2022, Leonard threw for 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions along with a very impressive 124 carries for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns as Duke surprised everyone in Elko’s first year and went 9-4. His 2023 season started even more promising than that, as Duke upset Clemson on Labor Day to start the year. They were 3-0 with a chance late in the game to beat Notre Dame and get off to a 4-0 start with a high ranking, but Leonard was injured late in the game and Duke lost. He only played in two more games the rest of the year, battling injuries all season. But, make no mistake, Leonard, who received some first-round NFL Draft buzz, announced Wednesday that he is going in the transfer portal.
And, reports are that his destination is likely Notre Dame. That makes sense for both parties. Notre Dame has a good young core on offense, but the quarterback position is a huge question mark with Hartman out of availability. Steve Angelli was the backup this year, but he wasn’t exactly the most talented quarterback in the country when he was coming out of high school as a three-star in 2022. Highly-touted freshman Chad Carr will be enrolling in the Spring, but they don’t want to start a true freshman if they don’t have to.