Riley Leonard is a proud native of Fairhope, Alabama. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback is fortunate to be a part of a big and sport-loving family. He grew up playing every sport possible, from basketball, fishing, football, and many more, with his brothers, Cole, and Devin. Riley has committed to play the new 2024 season with Notre Dame after playing three seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. But it was not only football all the way.

Leonard attended Fairhope High School in Alabama. With football, he also played basketball in high school. And up until high school, Riley thought basketball would be his main sport. St. Mary’s North Alabama, Samford, and Missouri State offered him to play basketball on their teams. And this love for basketball emerged because of his father.

Riley was born on September 13, 2002, to Chad and Heather Leonard. Chad was an NCAA Division I basketball player under head coach Pat Dennis for The Citadel. Chad was part of the Bulldog basketball team for almost 4 seasons. He successfully ended his college playing career by becoming the all-time steals leader for his school. As soon as his college basketball career ended, he decided to work at the Rivertowne Country Club and Patriots Point as a golf professional. However, his father is not the only one to have pursued basketball in his family.

Riley’s uncle, Michael Sabol, played basketball at Georgetown University (1990-91). Heather, Leonard’s mother, has a degree in special education from Charleston College, which is in South California. Before she got married to Chad, she was working at the Sylvan Learning Centre as a director of education. Chad and Heather Leonard have a very positive influence on their son Riley’s life and the 6-foot-4-inch player has all the gratitude for them.

“My parents, Chad and Heather, have been there for us every step of the way and I’ll always be grateful for the sacrifices they’ve made for me over the years”, Leonard mentioned on his website. Leonard’s family is all set for the new season. Leonard brings a new dynamic to Notre Dame’s offense with his extraordinary stats as a senior.

In three seasons with the Blue Devils, Leonard passed for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns while completing 61.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 1,224 yards and 19 more touchdowns. That brings 5,674 career yards on offense and 43 touchdowns in 27 games for Riley.

Leonard’s parents are his biggest support and influence. Mostly Chad because he was an athlete in his college days. Chad has claimed that even though he is a big basketball fan and also a good player, he could never beat his father. Riley had revealed that transferring to Notre Dame was a difficult decision for him. But guess what? Riley’s great-grandad, James Curran, played for Notre Dame back in the 40’s! Interestingly, Riley has found an interesting way to keep himself motivated during the games and his mother has a role in that.

Their bizarre motivation method

No one would ever imagine the two words “you s**k” would bring so much dedication and motivation into someone’s life. But Leonard’s life story is a bit different. He finds the bizarre quote encouraging.

In 2023, Leonard brought national attention to his former team Blue Devils. On College GameDay, he revealed a unique and funny way his mother motivates him. First, he mentioned the pressure he felt while performing as the starting quarterback. He has been dealing with the stress since high school. His mom also shared the same: that as a top athlete in both football and basketball, Leonard faced high expectations. He was very bad at handling pressure alone, so he simply relied upon his parents.

To let go of the stress, Leonard requested his mother to say “You S**k” before every game. It sounds very stupid and funny, but for the player, it is the most motivating quote. For the first time, when the QB asked his mother to say these words, she felt happy and obliged, and since then she has made sure she let him know that he sucks before every game. However, like every other mom, she also makes sure he is loved.