Riley Leonard draft moment shows how much Marcus Freeman cares about his guys

When the Indianapolis Colts selected former Notre Dame football quarterback Riley Leonard in the 2025 NFL Draft, it was obviously a big deal for the young man. It was also a big deal for his now-former head coach. 

The relationship that the two men have forged, despite teaming up for just one year has been evident since Leonard took his first snap for the Fighting Irish last fall. Freeman stood behind his quarterback even when there were plenty of fans calling for him to be benched following early season struggles. Leonard rewarded the loyalty by finishing with some very good numbers nad leading the team to the national championship game.

Riley Leonard gets mid call surprise from Marcus Freeman after Colts draft pick

That relationship was also on display last weekend, just after Leonard was drafted when he was having his introductory Zoom call with the team that had just selected him the day before. In the video, posted on X, viewers can see Leonard discussing the specifics of how Freeman ensured that his players were all on the same page and doing things the right way.

However, in the middle of the call, the phone went momentarily black and Leonard trailed off only to come back a few seconds later with a big smile on his face and apologized.

It seems that the Notre Dame quarterback had received a call from Freeman while talking to the Colts, likely just a check-in and to offer congratulations again for getting a chance to play in the NFL.

It’s the small tidbits like that which point to a culture in the Notre Dame football program that isn’t just lip service. This is a tight-knit group that plenty of kids are going to want to be a part of in the next few years, if they haven’t already signed up to do so.