During their record-setting 23-10 victory over Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Pat McAfee gave Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard the ultimate endorsement on X.

“Man… I very much underestimated how much of a DAWWWGGG Riley Leonard is,” McAfee wrote, reaching nearly 500,000 X users in three hours.

As a major name in the college football landscape, McAfee can get the attention of most fans on social media by posting just about anything. Whether he picks for or against teams on ESPN's College Gameday, social media tends to buzz anytime he makes a statement.

And following Notre Dame's second impressive win in the College Football Playoff, McAfee was stunned by the quarterback's toughness.

Another reason this was buzzing on social media is because of the verbiage McAfee used. There's little reason to believe that McAfee just coincidentally called Leonard a “dawg,” while beating the Georgia Bulldogs— or as many refer to them— the Dawgs.

But at the same time, McAfee speaks with a lot of emotion, making this statement one that he could've just made in the moment. McAfee calls players dawgs all the time, so this could've been an honest coincidence.

Regardless of how McAfee meant it, his endorsement of Notre Dame's quarterback had social media buzzing.

Notre Dame's Riley Leonard gets Pat McAfee going during Sugar Bowl vs. Georgia

Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) passes against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Caesars Superdome.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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On a crucial third-and-7 late in the Allstate Bowl, Leonard earned his official McAfee endorsement.

Notre Dame was up 23-10 with approximately six minutes remaining, and on third down, Leonard put the team on his back, breaking a tackle and hurdling over a defender for the first down.

Once this play happened, it was clear that Leonard was willing to do whatever it took to win, which the Fighting Irish did. Following the game, Leonard was asked about the hurdle, giving a very blunt response to reporters.

“We’re in the playoffs,” Leonard said. “Everybody else can put their body on the line. I’m going to do it right there with them.”

Against Georgia, Leonard was 15-of-24 for 90 yards and a touchdown. Leonard also led Notre Dame on the ground, rushing for 80 yards, including the all-important third-down rush late in the game.

And with McAfee's endorsement of Notre Dame's quarterback, Leonard backed it up with his performance against Georgia, leading the Fighting Irish to an Orange Bowl appearance against Penn State with a shot at the championship game on the line.