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Of all the college football players entering the transfer portal, there might not be a bigger belle of the ball than Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard was an NFL Draft darling with his 6-4 212 pound frame, strong arm, and athleticism and ability as a runner to go with all that. But he didn't have the best of seasons at Duke last season.
He completed only 57.6% of his passes, averaged 6.7 yards per attempt, and finished with more rushing touchdowns (four) than passing touchdowns (three). Leonard also missed time because of an ankle sprain that he suffered in a primetime game against Notre Dame. He later aggravated that injury and was forced to miss the rest of the season because of it.
It was a bit of a lost season for Leonard, but he does have another year of eligibility to leave college football with a good taste in his mouth, as well as NFL scouts and executives. But after Duke's head coach Mike Elko left for Texas A&M and Leonard entered the portal, it seems unlikely he will continue his college career in Durham. The question now becomes: where should Riley Leonard go after entering the portal?
Notre Dame
The instant Riley Leonard's name hit the transfer portal, Notre Dame became an immediate possible landing spot. The Fighting Irish will be one of the teams hottest on Leonard's tail.
The fit is very clean and makes a lot of sense. For one, Notre Dame needs another quarterback. They nabbed Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman out of the transfer portal last year, but Hartman is out of eligibility and will be entering the NFL Draft. Hartman had a very successful season in his lone campaign at South Bend. He posted career highs in completion percentage (63.5%) and yards per attempt (8.9) while throwing for 2,689 yards and 24 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
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Hartman aired it out at Wake Forest more so than he did at Notre Dame; Hartman's 301 attempts dwarf the 508 and 428 passes he attempted the previous two seasons. But that type of style may fit Leonard better. Leonard attempted 391 passes in 2022 and has experience playing with a stout defense, which is what Notre Dame has.
Notre Dame ranked eighth in the country in yards allowed per game at 282.4. They were also ninth in points per game allowed at just 16.6. This is a team that is ready-made to compete now. Riley Leonard would be the missing piece at quarterback.
Texas A&M
If Notre Dame aren't the ones to land Riley Leonard, it shouldn't surprise anybody if he winds up following his Duke head coach Mike Elko to Texas A&M. The Aggies also have a team that is ready to compete now. They weren't that far behind Notre Dame as a defensive unit in 2023. They ranked tenth in the country in yards allowed per game at 295.
The Aggies had a deep staple of pass catchers in 2023 as well with the likes of Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart, Jake Johnson, Jahdee Walker, Noah Thomas, and Moose Muhammad III. While some of those players won't return, some will, and the Aggies have a lot of resources at their disposal when it comes to recruiting and the portal.
Winning will be tough to come by in the loaded SEC that is only going to get tougher with A&M's former Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and Texas coming in. But this would be a great situation for Riley Leonard if it doesn't end up happening with Notre Dame.
