God Has Me & He’s In Control – Riley Leonard
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is “naturally curious, insanely talented, relentlessly competitive, deeply religious,” says the South Bend Tribune. And Leonard has noted, “I have that faith-based mindset that God has me and he’s in control.”
These traits mean that Leonard is able to keep it clean “while cleaning the competition’s clock….” according to the Tribune. He “has passed test after test while thriving in a variety of ad-hoc displays of skill and will.”
The 21-year-old began his college football career in 2021 at Duke University. He led the Blue Devils to their best season in eight years in 2022 and entered the football transfer portal after three years there. Notre Dame was the only school he visited during the transfer process, and he made a commitment to it in less than two weeks.
Faith was a factor in his decision, and it also didn’t hurt that his great-grandfather, James Curran, played for the Fighting Irish in the early 1940s.
Leonard’s Faith
As the 6-foot-4-inch, 212-pound quarterback began his final season of college football, he said that faith is paramount in his life. “When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking, ‘How many touchdown passes did I throw?’ I’m thinking, ‘Did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect?’” he said.
Sports Spectrum noted that “he sometimes posts about his faith on Instagram, and he writes in his bio, ‘No God – No Peace. Know God – Know Peace.’”
The new Notre Dame quarterback grew up in Fairhope, AL, where he played high school football and basketball. “A lot of my core values and what I believe in come from the good people that I met in Alabama…. I couldn’t be more grateful,” he said.
His football coach at Fairhope High School, Tim Carter, has described Leonard as “one of the most humble kids I’ve ever coached. Probably the most humble kid I’ve ever coached. He’s just so competitive. But he does it in a way that doesn’t alienate. It’s an inclusive competitiveness.”
Leonard thought he would play collegiate basketball like his father Chad, who played NCAA Division I basketball at The Citadel. Samford University and Missouri State wanted the younger Leonard. Yet, he chose football.
“In three seasons with the (Duke) 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,” according to Essentially Sports.
Not bad for someone who played an abbreviated season in 2023 after sustaining an ankle injury against – ironically – Notre Dame. “Leonard underwent a procedure on his ankle in January and then had another surgery that cut short his spring practice in March,” Notre Dame said after Leonard transferred.
A Faith-based Mindset
Leonard’s faith-based mindset helped when he injured his ankle and again when he reinjured it last season. “My faith has kind of gotten me through all this,” he recently said. “The way I see it is maybe this protects me from something worse. Maybe if I don’t have this second ankle surgery, maybe something worse happens to me….
“If I knew what God knew, I wouldn’t be asking any questions at all and I wouldn’t be hesitating on his decisions,” Slap the Sign quoted Leonard as saying.
“It’s relieving to have a higher spirit that has your back, something that you can fall back on. When I’m down, that’s the first thing I go to. I run to the Father…. And he always picks me back up,” he explained.
Leonard’s teammate, Jayden Thomas, said, “It’s kind of weird how competitive he is, but also how nice he is as a person.” Another teammate, Jayden Harrison, noted that Leonard isn’t an entitled quarterback. Rather, he truly cares about people. “You only meet a (small) amount of people like that…. (he’s) dang near like Tim Tebow as a person.”
Tebow, a former Florida quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, also has a faith-based mindset. He’s an outspoken Christian who has been featured in two of my Patheos posts: Christianity & Humanitarianism Can Go Hand-in-Hand and Faith & Football: 3 Heisman Winners Who Focus on God.
A Cross & A Bible Verse
Riley Leonard’s actions at Notre Dame’s opening game with the Texas A&M Aggies last Saturday spoke volumes about his faith, per Total News.
He painted a black cross on his face prior to the game and wore a wrist band that showcased his favorite Bible verse, which says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).
Riley Leonard’s faith also took center stage after Notre Dame’s 23-13 win over Texas A&M, when he shared the verse on his wrist during an interview with ESPN. “…the audience erupted into applause for his choice of the Bible verse,” Essentially Sports wrote.
“Leonard ‘went out of his way’ during the interview to show (journalist) Angelo Di Carlo” the Scripture, and Di Carlo shared it on X.
“People loved the message…. The publication called Leonard’s actions thrilling, unexpected and unforgettable. “For the few, Leonard had an added merit. He was a humble man of faith and a good player at the same time,” it said.
One Notre Dame fan responded with the words, “God, Country, Notre Dame,” while another called Leonard “a true leader on and off the field” and still another commented, “It’s rare to see someone so young be so grounded.”
Essentially Sports pointed out that even people who don’t follow Notre Dame football noticed Leonard’s actions and words. “I’m not even an ND fan but I respect that,” one person said. “This is what we need more of in sports,” said another.
And fittingly, Leonard ended his first postgame appearance as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback with two words. “God bless,” he said as he rose to leave.
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