This one hit Irish fans right in the heart. Just last season, Riley Leonard rolled into Marcus Freeman’s turf, pushing Notre Dame from natty-pretender to legit contender. Picture it: a packed stadium, the crowd roaring, then silence as the final whistle blows—so close, yet so far. Now, he’s off to the NFL. But before dipping, the quarterback dropped an animated farewell on Instagram, and yeah, it hit hard. A mix of heartbreak and gratitude flooded Irish fans. That’s the Riley Leonard effect—one last emotional goodbye to South Bend before the next chapter.

Leonard dropped a farewell tribute on IG on March 9, sealing his place in ND lore. “From the moment I arrived in South Bend to our final moments together on the field in Atlanta, you gave me everything you had and I gave you everything I had too,” Leonard said, probably making half of South Bend cry into their Golden Domer memorabilia. “One season definitely wasn’t enough, but thanks to you, I’ll have gold and blue in my heart forever.” Yeah, we get it—the QB is practically an honorary leprechaun now.

Riley Leonard’s 2024 run with Notre Dame was the ultimate comeback arc. After transferring from Duke and getting wrecked by injuries in 2023, the dude pulled up in South Bend with something to prove—and delivered. He dragged the Irish to an 11-1 regular season, lighting up defenses with both his arm and his legs. We’re talking 2,861 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and a 66.7% completion rate. But what really had defenses shaken?

His ground game. 906 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns. That tied Notre Dame’s single-season record for QB rushing scores. Dude was straight-up cooking. And if anybody had doubts, his semifinalist nod for the 2024 Comeback Player of the Year award shut that down real quick. Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and dubs.

Notre Dame got a brutal wake-up call in Week 2 when Northern Illinois blocked a 62-yard field goal attempt, handing the Irish their only regular-season L. And let’s be real—college football fans wrote them off after that. But Riley? Nah, he flipped the switch. That loss was the slap in the face they needed. From that moment on, Leonard and the squad locked in, cut out the mistakes, and got dead serious about winning. By the time the Sugar Bowl rolled around, they were a different beast. Leonard put up 90 passing yards, a TD, and 80 rushing yards on 14 carries against Georgia, but it wasn’t enough. 17-10, Dawgs took it.

But Leonard wasn’t done. The Orange Bowl against Penn State? That’s when he really showed what he was made of. He got banged up in the first half, but instead of tapping out, he came back like a man possessed. Down by seven, last drive, nine plays, 80 yards—boom, three-yard TD run to tie it up. Final stat line? 223 passing yards, a TD, two picks, and a clutch W to send Notre Dame to the national title game.

Now, the National Championship against Ohio State? Leonard gave it everything he had. 22-of-31, 255 yards, two TDs, plus 40 rushing yards and another score. He left it all on the field. In the end, it wasn’t enough. Heartbreaking? Yeah. But that doesn’t change the fact that Riley Leonard’s name is going to be remembered in South Bend for years. From injury hell to leading the Irish to the brink of a natty—Leonard cemented himself as one of the toughest, grittiest QBs to ever do it.

Riley Leonard’s Notre Dame farewell tribute had Irish fans deep in their feels

When Riley Leonard dropped that farewell tribute on IG, Irish fans were down bad. The appreciation came flooding in, with fans showing love in the comments section.

The fans started with the desperation button: “One more year?” Now, we all know that ain’t happening—Leonard’s eligibility is literally cooked. Four seasons? That’s the max unless the NCAA throws you a medical redshirt, and Riley already cashed in his transfer to Notre Dame. And now it’s NFL or bust. But hey, we can all dream, right?

Another fan kept it short and sweet: “Left it better than ya found it.” And that’s just the truth. Notre Dame was in a weird spot with Ian Book and Sam Hart; they’ve put up crazy numbers but never really reached beyond a glorified Bowl game. And Riley came in, handled business, and made them a title contender. The Irish haven’t had this kind of energy in a minute.

Then you had fans getting emotional, like one saying, “Love you, brother! Thank you for everything ☘️” No exaggeration, Leonard gave his heart and soul to Notre Dame, and the fans felt every second of it. Riley Leonard literally gave the Irish fans the best season in a decade. He wasn’t just a one-year rental—he became part of the Irish legacy.

Of course, some fans got a little carried away. One bold take read: “Top 1 ND QB ever frl🐐.” Now, look, Riley Leonard was a beast, no doubt, but Goat status? We might need to pump the brakes. Notre Dame has had some legendary quarterbacks over the years—Sam Hartman (low-key), Ian Book, Brady Quinn, and let’s not forget Joe Montana, who literally won them a national title in 1977. Saying Leonard was the best ever is a stretch, but hey, we got his point.

Finally, a fan summed up the vibes perfectly: “Imma miss you, Ry 😢” Well, we all do; that’s the truth. Notre Dame fans got attached, and it’s hard not to when a QB gives you a season to remember.

Riley Leonard’s Notre Dame chapter is over, but the legacy? That’s sticking around. He came in, won games, balled out, and left Irish fans actually believing they could hang with the big dogs again. And even though he couldn’t bring home the Natty, he gave ND everything he had. Now it’s on to the NFL, where he’ll probably be out there breaking ankles and making scouts second-guess their QB rankings. As for ND fans? Well, they’ll be watching, reminiscing, and probably still commenting “Go Irish” on his posts for some years.