Notre Dame QB Keeps ‘Relationship With Jesus’ at the Center
By Movieguide® Contributor
Notre Dame’s new quarterback Riley Leonard is ready to lead his team to victory, but he knows his relationship with Jesus always comes first.
Leonard grew up in the small town of Fairhope, Alabama, a place that has helped him along his faith journey.
“Every single person in that city that I came into contact with helped me with my faith. I’m able to bring that here. Obviously, that’s the most important thing in my life,” he said in an interview with The Irish Tribune. “When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking, ‘How many touchdown passes did I throw?’ ‘Did we win or lose?’ I’m thinking, ‘Did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my parents?’”
On the field, people can see Matthew 23:12 written on his wristband. The verse reads, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Riley Leonard goes out of his way in his postgame interview with ESPN to show off his favorite Bible verse, Matthew 23:12.
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” pic.twitter.com/JoX86Ucman
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlo) September 1, 2024
Leonard tries to live by that verse daily, and it’s something he shares with his teammates.
The quarterback spent the last three seasons at Duke. Now, one of his favorite parts about his new team is the fact that many of the guys show up to Bible study every week.
“One of the biggest bragging points about this team is we have, like, 40 guys show up to our Bible study sometimes every Thursday. That’s really a credit to them. It started with, like, five guys, but it’s grown to 40,” Leonard told the media in a press conference. “This team is just so close. And everything that we do, we do as a unit.”
In his first debut with the Irish, Leonard dominated the field and helped lead his team to a win.
According to Sports Spectrum, “Ranked No. 7 to begin the season, the Irish stormed into College Station, Texas, to face No. 20 Texas A&M (now led by Leonard’s former coach at Duke, Mike Elko) and headed home with a 23-13 victory on Saturday. Leonard threw for 158 yards, added another 63 on the ground, and his poise and experience against the Aggies’ swarming defense was crucial to the win. Notre Dame moved up to No. 5 in Tuesday’s new AP rankings.”
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
