The pickings are relatively slim among transfer quarterbacks this winter, yet Notre Dame pulled in one of the top talents in Duke’s Riley Leonard on Tuesday.
Not that any of Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix or Jayden Daniels were ever seen as Heisman finalists when they made their jumps to new schools two years ago, but all three were heralded.
Anyone who can raise Indiana to a 10-2 stretch in his starts across two seasons (Penix) is seen as an underappreciated talent by those paying attention. Anyone starting as a true freshman at a program among the SEC’s top half (Nix) is clearly a talented player, despite a bounty of inconsistent moments. Anyone responsible for 36 total touchdowns in his first two full seasons as a starter (Daniels) undeniably has top-end potential, especially when remembering the dire straits of those Arizona State rosters.
And, of course, that transfer class also starred last year’s Heisman winner and likely No. 1 overall NFL draft pick this coming spring, Caleb Williams.
To apply the same framing to Leonard, in an attempt to be just as subjective, anyone who can lead Duke to a 13-5 record as a healthy starter should be blindly considered a complete quarterback, let alone anyone who can account for 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in those 18 games.
Not as much praise can be heaped on most of this transfer class. Aidan Chiles (Oregon State to most likely Michigan State) and Dante Moore (UCLA to …) were both high-profile recruits not entrusted with their offenses this fall. Cameron Ward spent the first two years of his collegiate career at an FCS school, part of that aforementioned 2022 transfer class as he moved to Washington State from Incarnate Word and now looks for a third stop, a worthwhile development story but also a player with a cap on his ceiling.
Kyle McCord (Ohio State to seemingly Nebraska) leaves one of the best programs in the country because of his struggles; DJ Uiagalelei (Oregon State to …) may have plenty of suitors right now, but he still cannot be trusted directing an aerial offense; Tyler Van Dyke (Miami to Wisconsin), Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, James Madison’s Jordan McCloud and Vanderbilt’s AJ Swann are all decent quarterbacks, but none of these names will elevate a program from good to contender status.
And yet, plenty of schools need a name that can elevate them from good to contender. Kansas State’s Will Howard, Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel and Leonard may be the only three with that potential for the 2024 season, at least on the surface.
RELATED: College Football Transfer Portal Tracker
Therein lies the true impressive aspect of the Irish pulling in Leonard. While Oregon, quite possibly Washington, USC, maybe Michigan if JJ McCarthy is wise enough to enter the draft after this season, and even Florida State after seeing Tate Rodemaker’s struggles all need quarterbacks to contend in 2024, Notre Dame pulled in one of the most impressive available.
Of course, the Irish managed that same feat last season, Sam Hartman rather universally considered the best player available in the 2023 transfer portal. But Devin Leary and Brennan Armstrong looked the parts of top-tier passers. Then again, their lists of suitors were short since most of the 2023 contenders were set at quarterback long before last winter. The market for the ACC vagabonds was not as stout as the present one could be.
Leonard may not be as proven as Hartman, but Notre Dame securing the former’s commitment this week is a better sign for the program. Perhaps it ties to name, image and likeness possibilities. Maybe Marcus Freeman so endears himself to players. Leonard just might like the idea of playing in the cold of November in northwestern Indiana. Whatever the reason, Leonard’s arrival in South Bend is a loud statement of Notre Dame’s standing on the national landscape.
He may not be enough to change the Irish trajectory in 2024. Then again, a quarterback with 17 rushing touchdowns in his last 18 healthy games can influence an entire offensive scheme, particularly one who completed 63.5 percent of his passes at 7.5 yards per attempt.
For that matter, despite Notre Dame’s lackluster receivers room of late, Leonard was directing an offense with far less talent than he will enjoy in 2024, particularly since Clemson’s Beaux Collins and Florida International’s Kris Mitchell have restocked that receivers room.
Leonard’s transfer represents a natural raise to the Irish floor in 2024, a truth no matter how well current sophomore Steve Angeli and current freshman Kenny Minchey play against No. 19 Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29.
But Leonard’s transfer also signals a Notre Dame commitment to the future that is vague unless viewed relative to the rest of the quarterback transfer market. With few stars available, landing one became that much more promising for the Irish.
An undergraduate from Duke is not a certain departure from past Notre Dame admissions restrictions, but an undergraduate from Duke transferring in along with one from Clemson (Collins, a past All-Academic honoree in the ACC) does signal Freeman may have found that needed traction with university administration. It also helps explain why Leonard’s decision took nearly two weeks to become public, a commitment never doubted internally but one fretted over by the public.
Only time will tell if Freeman successfully avoids needing another quarterback transfer after Leonard’s single season. But regardless of next year’s transfer market and however the 2024 season pans out, Leonard arriving at Notre Dame signals a distinct Irish intention.
