When the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-1) square off against the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes (13-2) on Monday night in Atlanta the impact of the transfer portal will be apparent for both programs at the quarterback position.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard transferred to the Fighting Irish via Duke this offseason, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard came to the Buckeyes from Kansas State. Without Leonard and Howard, it’s hard to imagine this being the National Championship matchup.
Leonard has been a major catalyst for Notre Dame’s offense, beating teams with his arm and legs alike, throwing for 2,606 yards with 19 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 66.4 completion percentage with a 77.7 QBR, which ranks No. 15 in the country. Leonard’s been lethal as a runner and that is what makes him tick and keeps defenses off balance. The 6-foot-4, 216 quarterback has rushed for 866 yards and 16 rushing scores this season.
Howard’s had a great year for the Buckeyes, throwing for 3,779 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 72.6 completion percentage and an 87.6 QBR, which ranks No. 2 in the nation.
While Leonard and Howard are good collegiate quarterbacks, both have been counted out at various points in their careers — both quarterbacks are viewed as lower-tier NFL Draft prospects by pundits. CBS Sports has Leonard and Howard at the very bottom of their 2025 NFL Draft quarterback rankings at No. 8 and No. 9.
What makes the career arcs of Leonard and Howard all the more interesting is that they met two years ago at the Manning Passing Academy and then were roommates at the same camp earlier in 2024.
“We were both kind of underdogs when we met two years ago at the Manning camp, and a lot of people kind of counted us out,” Leonard said. “So to be where we are now, it kind of turns that conversation into something really cool.”
Howard was recently asked about how many pundits believe he’ll be a day three draft pick, and based on his response, Howard’s heard the criticism and is embracing it.
“You know, obviously people say things, and it feels like nobody really wants to give me any credit, but I love that — keep it coming,” Howard said this week. “As much motivation as I can get, I’m gonna take. I love people challenging me and challenging this team because it keeps that chip on our shoulder and keeps that edge. And when we play like that, when we play a little pissed off and have that chip on our shoulder, I think that’s good for us.”
Leonard has the same kind of mentality as Howard heading into Monday’s matchup.
“I love the underdog status,” Leonard said. “I love it, I love it. I love it. There’s nothing that motivates me more than to see certain things said or certain spreads out there.”
While Leonard and Howard are underdogs, players on the opposite team think the quarterback they’re going up against doesn’t receive enough praise.
- Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer on Riley Leonard: “I think Riley Leonard doesn’t get enough credit for how he can throw the ball,” Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer said at media day on Saturday.
- Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman on Will Howard: “I think he’s elite at making good decisions. He’s got a good arm, and he can extend plays with his legs. He takes care of the football. Those are traits that any great quarterback possesses, and this moment isn’t too big for him. We know he’ll be ready to go on Monday, and he presents a huge challenge.”
Whether Ohio State winds up hoisting the National Championship trophy or Notre Dame does, there’s a strong likelihood that either Leonard or Howard will be a major reason why their team won it all.
