Unknown Fact About Notre Dame’s $20.4 Million Side Revealed by QB Riley Leonard in Eye-Opening Take

NIL has been a simultaneous focal point in the CFB world alongside the winning-losing tradition. The reality regarding the highly touted ‘name image and likeness’ took an unforeseen U-turn when it lifted the restriction on the athletes to make money using their intangible assets in the program. In the present picture, you might have seen an equal weight of NIL valuation in a player’s resume discussion apart from his on-field expertise. It’s the high-flying difference in NIL that propelled Bryce Underwood to join forces with the Michigan Wolverines. So, you see the effect right on the spot! This is how NIL makes and shapes the CFP trajectory now and then. However, when it comes to Notre Dame, the NIL trend is much wider than meets the eye. They’re offering a leg up to the student-athletes, and here’s what their beating heart, Riley Leonard, had to say about this.

Leonard transferred from Duke for the 2024-25 season, taking a career-transforming decision after interacting with the Fighting Irish team and coaching staff. The integrity, the unique approach to the players, and most importantly, the healthy atmosphere adhering to a team spirit lured him the most to sign under Marcus Freeman. One season has gone, and it couldn’t be a better first year for the Duke transfer.

Apart from scoring the milestones on the field, the Texas kid got everything that made him able to draw copious NIL money. But, it’s not just the money. Revealing a rare side of Irish football, the young prodigy, during an interview with RGIII, noted, ‘‘You were just able to experience a lot of new things, and you learn a lot too, you learn a lot about financial literacy and especially here at Notre Dame like they’re big on teaching us that those types of things you learn how to save your money, how to invest your money.”

For those unversed, in the 2023-2024 academic year, Rockne Athletics Fund gifted student-athletes over 20.4 million dollars. They also provided over $16.4 million in student-athlete financial aid at Notre Dame. It predominantly covers over 50% of the Athletics Department’s annual scholarship bill. It was indeed a head-turning initiative by the stakeholders and the boosters involved in the process.

However, coming to Leonard’s NIL legacy, he set a marquee example of what being generous tastes like and what it can do to maintain a team spirit at its best.

Riley Leonard strives to share his NIL revenue with his teammates

If you want to judge Leonard’s quality by his numbers, you would miss a chunk of him as a person. What he brought to the Irish camp is much more than an elevated scoreboard. His acute sense of service, kind and generous approach to the team and the teammates, and selfless gestures made him the true legend that he is. The leg supremacy comes easily to Leonard. I mean, just look at the 11-1 season record of his team and his contribution to that on a more minute level, but wait, it seems big heart supremacy comes even easier.

The Fighting Irish QB recently made headlines by garnering a brand new NIL offer worth tens of thousands of dollars, but it came with some limitations. To avail the huge name, Image, and Likeness, the company would have to cut in the members of his offensive line.

But Leonard had a solution. He comes forward with a sharing is caring ideal. His teammates, coaches, and peers know his character, noting that he is a true competitor with an amazing heart. He divided his 1.1 million dollars among his teammates.

“I try to be a servant leader, and what I really want to do is serve others; showing these guys that I’m no better than them,” the veteran said in a humble justification. Riley Leonard is an exception in the current NIL trend, and so is the Fighting Irish!