By Jeffery Green | @Jeffery_Agreen

Sports Capital Journalism Program

ATLANTA – They were roommates once, multiple colleges and years ago, at a time when their dreams exceeded their credentials. Will Howard and Riley Leonard were paired at the Manning Passing Academy in 2023 and 2024, a connection between young quarterbacks formed a friendship that will play out Monday night with a national championship at stake.

“At the time we weren’t really the big names at the camp,” Leonard said two days before his Notre Dame Fighting Irish would meet Howard’s Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff National Championship. “We were just two dudes hustling, trying to compete and make a name for ourselves.”

When the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, programs known for their traditional commitment to player recruitment and development will be guided by quarterbacks that arrived through the transfer portal this season. Howard’s rise at Ohio State after leaving Kansas State, and Leonard’s arrival at Notre Dame after departing from Duke became decisive factors in seasons that will end in triumph or heartbreak.

Howard’s pass efficiency rating of 173.71 ranks third nationally this season, and his completion percentage of 72.6, the best in Ohio State history, ranks fourth nationally. He has thrown for 3,779 yards and 33 touchdowns.

Leonard threw a 54-yard touchdown pass in the Orange Bowl victory over Penn State and ran for a touchdown in Notre Dame’s 27-24 semifinal victory. His 16 rushing touchdowns set a Notre Dame record for a quarterback.

Long before that story began to take shape, the crossing of their paths created a great bond. “Riley is an unbelievable dude,” Howard said, “…somebody I have a lot of respect for. Just the way he goes about his business, the way that he has his faith in the Lord, everything he kind of embodies.”

Leonard remembered their late-night conversations about football and life. “To see where we are now, it’s really cool because he’s a person I respect a lot,” Leonard said. “And obviously I always try and root for other quarterbacks in college, especially after I meet them at that camp because you realize we’re all just dudes, all just kids trying to play the best for our teams and our universities.”

In Howard’s four years at Kansas State, he started in 28 of his 34 games, throwing for 5,786 yards and a school career record 48 touchdowns. In 2023, his senior season, Howard led the Wildcats to an 8-4 record before entering the transfer portal as the Blue Devils prepared for the Pop-Tarts Bowl against N.C. State.

“The transition was definitely interesting,” Howard remembered. “Coming from a place where you’re there for four years and you’re very comfortable and you know everyone, coming into a new system… I didn’t know anyone’s name.”

Since his arrival last January, Howard has advanced beyond that discomfort to become a respected leader. “It’s unbelievable just seeing his relationship throughout the locker room, seeing how he looks adversity in the face,” Ohio State offensive lineman Josh Fryar said of Howard. “We take in his mentality when he’s out there. When we see him juiced up, we’re juiced up.”

Buckeye offensive lineman Donovan Jackson described Howard’s contribution to Ohio State’s playoff success. “He stepped up in a whole new way in terms of leadership,” Jackson said. “Making sure the offense as a whole is on the same page, encouraging guys, pushing guys to perform at the level that he knew that we could be at. A lot of our success is attributed to his leadership.”

This team is behind Howard and ready for this next step in the championship game. “He’s been someone that has been amazing to be teammates with,” Ohio State tight end Gee Scott Jr. said. “I’m excited to call him my quarterback, and I’m ready to go finish this thing.”

Ohio State and Notre Dame were strategic in their approaches to available talent with experience at the college level. “We want to use the transfer portal as an opportunity to fill holes that may come up now with the way things are designed within college football,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “But we also try to make sure that we’re using a lot of great judgment on who we bring into our program….

“You don’t just walk into Ohio State or Notre Dame, one of these programs, and think you’re just going to get on the field,” Day said. “So they had to earn the respect of their teammates during the off-season, during the spring, and then during the season as time went on. Then as it goes, you start to build that team.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has developed a similar approach. “We’re going to major in high school recruiting,” he said, “and the foundation of our football program will be from high school recruiting. And we’ll minor in the transfer portal for specific needs.”

Leonard’s arrival at Notre Dame became complicated by an injury he suffered while still at Duke. Leonard was a two-year starter during his sophomore and junior seasons with the Blue Devils, leading them to a 13-7 record including a 2022 Military Bowl victory over UCF. After his junior season was ended abruptly due to a toe injury, Leonard decided he would explore his options.

“I didn’t like being in the transfer portal,” Leonard said. “It was really a weird feeling because I think of myself as a loyal person, then there I am in the transfer portal leaving my best friends at Duke. So I just wanted to get out of it as soon as possible, and I was very quick to commit to Notre Dame because I knew it was the place for me.”

While Leonard did not enjoy the process, it did not take long for new relationships to grow. Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans recalled that Leonard “kind of fit in right away with this brotherhood. That’s the kind of thing we take pride in.

“Notre Dame is truly unique,” Evans said. “The brotherhood separates us from other schools.”

Leonard said he knew coming to Notre Dame was the right move, and believed a trip to this championship game was attainable. “I thought this would happen,” Leonard said. “That’s why I came here. We expected this, definitely thought it would be happening.”

The reality happened only after months of work and relationship building made it possible. “To see him grow and now become the leader and just the character in the locker room that everybody respects,” graduate linebacker Jack Kiser said, “it’s a huge deal when you can get a guy like that for one year and make such an impact on a locker room in a program. You see him put his body on the line almost every play… He’s definitely earned the respect and love from the locker room for sure.”