The former star of the Alabama Secondary School, Riley Leonard, heads to the NFL, but staying in Indiana

After having satiated Notre-Dame in the National CFP Championship of the CFP in his only season with the Fighting Irish, the quarter-Arrière Riley Leonard hoped to continue his football career in Indiana, and he had no equipment of only two NFL teams available for his possible post-Drapeau interviews-Les Ravens de Baltimore and the Colts of Indianapolis.

The colts came for Leonard by choosing the old out of competition of Fairhope High School during the sixth round of the NFL draft on April 26.

“There is no place that I prefer to be back in Indiana”, ” Leonard said. “So, even when I was at (Nfl Scouting) combine in Indianapolis, it was just like at home. …

“The whole project process, every time Indiana lights up, on the screen, I cross my fingers, and it came at the ideal moment. I could not ask for much more. All I wanted to be, you know, the only place where I wanted to be was in Indianapolis and to hear my name called. No matter the round.”

Leonard completed 269 assists on 403 for 2,861 yards with 21 affected and eight interceptions and ran for 906 yards and 17 touched in 184 races in 16 games for Notre Dame in 2024. This season with the Irish took place after three seasons in Duke for Leonard.

“We liked Riley”, Managing Director of Colts Chris Ballard said. “And we have followed him since – as we have followed all these guys for all their careers. So we have followed him from Duke. Then, he goes to Notre Dame and was very successful. He had trained with Philip Rivers, therefore, of course, it is a final link. But he will do it.

A star of the preparation of Alabama in Athens, Rivers concluded his 17-year career as a quarter of the NFL with a season in Indianapolis before becoming a football coach at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope.

“He has a really cool place in his garden where he is going to throw,” Leonard said. And I was able to throw with his younger son, who is an exceptional talent by the way, Gunner Rivers. And I think the most important thing I learned was how intentional it is about each little thing. As, if we warm up and take five -step drops, these drops in five stages must be precipitated in order for them to be quite well. “”

Colts coach, Shane Steichen, worked with Rivers for six seasons with the loaders of San Diego / Los Angeles. Steichen made a point of attending the professional day of Notre Dame.

“Having a head coach during your professional day and telling you that you have thrown it afterwards, you know, the whole manufacturer of difference.” Leonard said. “So see him take the short car trip to South Bend – two hours by road or something like that – was really cool.”

During the Four Seasons since Rivers started all the matches for the colts in 2020, Indianapolis began seven-quarter-back and has another unstable situation in the position.

The fourth choice of the NFL 2023 draft, Anthony Richardson began four of his first five games as a recruit before a injury made him explode for the rest of the season. Richardson started 11 games in 2024, but the colts also used the veteran Joe Flacco as a starter in six games.

Flacco left, but the former starter of the New York giants, Daniel Jones, joined Indianapolis as a free agent during the offseason.

“I just think that the athletic capacity he has at a quarter, which he was able to do to Notre Dame this year, leading them to a national championship, says a lot about the player and the competitor he is”, ” Steichen said de Leonard. “So just to add that the depth in this room is large.”