Notre Dame football has officially booked a trip to the 2025 College Football Playoff Finals with a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl, and all eyes are on Marcus Freeman and Riley Leonard.
ND was a team that many people expected to be a pretender, and to lose 2-3 game and they are proving everyone wrong as these playoffs progress. The Irish are truly one of the best in College Football, and they are showing that every game.
Notre Dame culture and commitment to compete on both sides of the field has helped lead this team to their finals berth, but another key gamble helped Notre Dame football be one of the top two teams in College Football that no one is really talking about.
Riley Leonard gamble propels Notre Dame football to CFP Finals
Notre Dame football missed the playoffs last season, and while some doubted Riley Leonard's potential and if he could lead the Irish to the finals, Marcus Freeman never did.
"You can't buy stats, but you can buy heart. When it matters the most, Riley Leonard is going to put his body on the line for this program." Freeman stated on Riley Leonard
Marcus Freeman and the blue and gold have believed in Leonard since the day he committed to Notre Dame. Many media outlets however were not sure about how healthy Riley Leonard would be after his three surgeries since this time last year, but once again, this gamble paid off.
Leonard and Love have been one of the best qb and rb duos in the College Football all season long, and they are leading this Irish squad to a historic season with their legs. This has largely been because of the increase in chemistry and not just with them, but with Leonard and his wide receivers, as his passing attack continues to get better.
Riley Leonard has found his rhythm throwing the ball as of late as he has 14 touchdowns since October with only five interceptions. He has thrown a touchdown in last eight games and completing 75% of his passes over the last three of four weeks.
Leonard’s arm was doubted all season long, and on the biggest stage he was facing adversity and led this Irish to a 27-24 victory, including a 54 yard pass to Jaden Gratehouse to tie the game at 24. That pass is the longest passing touchdown from Riley Leonard this season.
In his full season he has thrown for 19 touchdowns and 2,606 yards and is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. He has also had consistent production rushing the ball, as he averages 61.8 rushing yards per game on just 10 attempts, totaling 866 yards for the season. Among quarterbacks, he ranks 10th in the FBS and 2nd in Power Four conferences. Irish Qb has had two games with 100 rushing yards or more and had ten games where he rushed for 50 yards or more.
Leonard has rushed for 16 touchdowns this season, which is the most in a single season by a Notre Dame quarterback in program history and ranks 17th in all positions, and 3rd among quarterbacks.
Marcus Freeman always talks about how much he loves Riley Leonard, and they truly bring the best out of each other. Having Leonard in this locker room has worked wonders for the Irish, and even with his two interceptions against Penn State, he is thriving on the biggest stage.
Although going after a quarterback with a weakness of throwing deep and coming off three surgeries may have seemed like a gamble at the time to some, it's clear that Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football made the right move here.