Riley Leonard shares glimpses of his intense NFL Draft prep after successful season at Notre Dame

Quarterback Riley Leonard played his final collegiate career for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Under head coach Marus Freeman, Leonard put up 2,861 yards and 21 TDs passing while helping his team to a 14-2 campaign. He is now gearing up to begin his professional journey in the NFL by being drafted in April.

On Saturday, 'qbcountry' posted a video on Instagram showcasing Riley Leonard's preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft. The clip shows snippets of the various drills that Leonard is working on to improve his strength and mobility. The Notre Dame quarterback also shared a glimpse of his arm accuracy during various passing drills.

You can check out Leonard's offseason preparations for the draft below.

Coming out of Fairhope High School, Riley Leonard began his collegiate career with the Duke Blue Devils in 2021. As a true freshman, he played in seven games and recorded 381 yards and one TD passing.

Leonard was then named as the starting quarterback during his sophomore campaign. He spent three seasons with the Blue Devils and tallied a total of 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns passing while rushing for 1224 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The quarterback then decided to join Marcus Freeman's team and was immediately named the starter following the departure of Sam Hartman. Leonard once again showcased his dual-threat abilities and helped the team qualify for the 12-team playoffs.

They defeated Indiana, Georgia, and Penn State in the first three rounds to face the Buckeyes in the national championship game. Unfortunately, the Fighting Irish could not emerge victorious thus ending their dream season on a sad note.

---

Who will be Riley Leonard's successor at Notre Dame?

With Leonard's departure in this year's draft, there is an air of mystery as to who will be the Fighting Irish's QB1 for the upcoming season. On3 college football insider J.D. Pickell puts his faith in Steve Angeli who served as the backup to Riley Leonard last season.

In a YouTube video posted by On3 last Saturday, J.D. Pickell gave his reasoning as to why Steve Angeli is best suited to be the next starting quarterback of Notre Dame.

"I think it's Steve Angeli. It's hard to dismiss what happened in the Orange Bowl. The fact that he has stayed since Riley Leonard came in and was the guy last year. And the fact that in the Orange Bowl, when Riley Leonard goes down, Steve Angeli steps in there and essentially saves Notre Dame's playoff life," Pickell said. (TS-7:30 onwards).

Apart from Steve Angeli, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish also have Kenny Michey and CJ Carr as options in their quarterback depth chart. Marcus Freeman is likely to come up with a decision after observing their performances in the spring practices.