Notre Dame QB Allows Jesus to ‘Change the Way’ He Plays Football
By Movieguide® Contributor
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is playing the best football he’s ever played in his life, and he credits that, in part, to his faith in Jesus Christ.
“I think I was hesitant and put a lot of pressure on myself, but me and coach Freeman were talking about it one time,” the quarterback continued, “and, you know, everybody goes into games, I feel like I certainly did thinking, ‘What if?’ What if I mess up? What if this happens? At the end of the day, if I go into a game thinking, ‘Even if.’ Even if everything falls down and we hit rock bottom, my Lord and Savior is always going to be there for me. Nothing’s going to change with that. So, that’s been the biggest thing.”
Leonard didn’t start this season the way that many coaches, players and fans thought he would. But once he realized that his identity is in Christ alone, the switch flipped.
READ MORE: NOTRE DAME QB KEEPS ‘RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS’ AT THE CENTER
“On the season, he’s completing 66.2% of his attempts for 1,360 yards with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He’s been great running the ball as well, as Leonard has carried the ball 85 times for 539 yards with 11 touchdowns,” the Fighting Irish Wire reported.
“While the numbers alone aren’t impressive, what stands out are his total stats, as Leonard is currently No. 10 in scoring, No. 8 if you exclude kickers,” the outlet continued. “Many were calling for a change earlier in the season, or at least to see what backup Steve Angeli could do, but clearly the Notre Dame coaching staff knew what they were doing all along.”
Through it all, the athlete is vocal about his faith.
“No Jesus – No Peace…Know Jesus – Know Peace,” Leonard declares in his Instagram bio.
He also shared Proverbs 27:17 in a post from earlier this season: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
