Notre Dame among the favorites to land former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish must replace quarterback Sam Hartman because he has run out of eligibility.

They are rumored to be in line to replace him with Riley Leonard.

Leonard recently announced he has entered the transfer portal. The Irish are forecasted to be where he plays next.

Leonard was outstanding for the Blue Devils in 2022. He threw for 2967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six picks. He also ran for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.

This year he was limited to just seven games after a toe injury cut short his season. He managed to throw 1102 yards and three touchdowns.

Leonard did not have a great game when Duke faced Notre Dame. He completed 12 of 27 passes for 134 yards in the Fighting Irish’s 21-14 victory. That does not mean he is trash as Leonard was a big reason for Duke’s turnaround the past two seasons.

Plus, he has a lot of game reps compared to what ND has on the roster.

Right now, the other options Notre Dame has include sophomore Steve Angeli, freshman Kenny Minchey, and redshirt freshman Dylan Devezin (who is a walk-on). They also have four-star CJ Carr committed to attend next year.

That is not a whole lot of experience for a program with high standards.

Leonard has good speed for a guy his size and a cannon arm. There was a chance he could get drafted in next year’s NFL Draft.

Instead, he has opted to transfer.

Auburn is listed as another potential landing spot. North Carolina State, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Mississippi State are also speculated to have interest.

He is considered the third-best quarterback in the transfer portal according to On3Sports.com.

Remember, the College Football Playoff is expanding next season. Notre Dame now needs to be among the top 12 teams in the country to get in. Adding a player like Leonard might help them be in that group.