Riley Leonard

Leonard was born in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and moved to Fairhope, Alabama when he was in kindergarten. Leonard attended Fairhope High School where he played football and basketball. As a senior, he passed for 1,900 yards and 25 touchdowns and had 500 rushing yards. He committed to Duke University to play college football, but also received offers to play college football from Nebraska, Syracuse, and Tulane, among others. Leonard also played basketball in high school, receiving offers to play college basketball from programs like Saint Mary's, North Alabama, Samford and Missouri State.

Leonard played in seven games and made one start as a true freshman at Duke in 2021. For the season, he completed 37 of 62 passes for 381 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Leonard was named the starting quarterback entering his sophomore season in 2022. On November 29, 2023, Leonard announced he would be entering the transfer portal. On December 12, 2023, Leonard announced he would be transferring to Notre Dame. In his only season with the Irish, he led the Irish to an 11-1 record and a berth in the new 12-team College Football Playoff after a stunning upset loss to Northern Illinois in week 2. The Irish finished the regular season #5 in the AP Poll and clinched the 5th seed in the College Football Playoff pole. In the first round, Notre Dame defeated Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium, which was followed by wins over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Penn State in the Orange Bowl, which sent Notre Dame to the National Championship Game for the first time since 2012. In the National Championship Game, the Irish lost to Ohio State, 34-23, ending the season as national runner-up and a #2 final ranking in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll, the highest finish for Notre Dame since 1993. The Irish finished the season with 7 wins over ranked teams, the most in a single season in school history, and finished 7-1 against ranked teams, with their only loss being in the National Championship Game. Notre Dame finished with an overall record of 14-2, the most wins in a single season in school history.

Statistics

Leonard was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 189th pick. He signed a four-year contract with the Colts on May 9, 2025. Leonard started the season as the third string quarterback, behind Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. He was then promoted to the primary backup in Week 6 when Richardson sustained an orbital fracture while warming up for a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Leonard made his NFL debut in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans, completing neither of his two passes and rushing once for one yard. During a Week 14 game against division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, Leonard entered the game after Jones suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the second quarter. Leonard remained in the game, completing 18-of-29 passes for 145 yards as well as one interception. He also ran twice for five yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. After Jones' season-ending injury, the Colts signed Philip Rivers out of retirement and announced he would start the next game against the Seattle Seahawks in an attempt to keep up their playoff hopes, indicating Leonard would remain as the backup. Following a Week 17 loss to the Jaguars, and elimination from playoff contention, the Colts announced that Leonard would start over Rivers for the season finale. Against the Houston Texans, Leonard completed 21-of-34 passes for 270 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran three times for 21 yards and one touchdown.

Leonard is a Christian. He proposed to his high school sweetheart, Molly Walding, on July 10, 2025. The couple were married on March 28, 2026, in Fairhope, Alabama.