The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are entering the 2024 college football season looking like a potential College Football Playoff contender. Behind new starting quarterback Riely Leonard, expectations are high.
Leonard was a huge transfer addition for Notre Dame. After flashing big-time potential with the Duke Blue Devils, he took the opportunity to play on a much bigger stage with the Fighting Irish.
Not only has Leonard flashed major talent on the field, he has found a lot of success off the gridiron in the NIL marketplace.
Currently, On3 has Leonard ranked as the No. 26 overall NIL athlete. When it comes to just college football athletes, Leonard ranks No. 19.
He has been given an impressive NIL valuation of $1.1 million.
Needless to say, Leonard has set himself up for success. He is being viewed as a possible NFL Draft candidate and has already made himself a good living off the field with NIL deals. However, he’ll now need to focus on finding big success in 2024 to take the next step in his football career.
Throughout his college career, Leonard has been plagued with injury issues. With the 2024 season right around the corner, Leonard provided a major update about himself.
“Healthy, healthy, healthy. I can’t stress that enough. I’m very healthy. If you were walking around in my body, you wouldn’t even know you had any injuries in the first place. I’m feeling good. There’s no limitations to workout-wise that I’m doing. So, I feel good.”
Leonard has also revealed his thoughts about his transfer to Notre Dame and the easiest part of joining the Fighting Irish so far.
“But the easiest part has been the family atmosphere at Notre Dame, and the fact I can relate to my teammates so well. Best people in the world, love those guys.”
Everything is setting up for a very successful 2024 season. Leonard has the talent to power the Fighting Irish to championship contention, but he must put all his talent together and stay healthy.
Notre Dame hasn’t had a quarterback with as much talent as Leonard possesses in quite some time. If he can play to his full potential and stay healthy, the Fighting Irish are going to be a very tough team to beat.
Expect to see Leonard come out strong this season. He is in a great situation and his health is apparently in good shape. It will be interesting to see where he can take Notre Dame.
