Fairhope’s own Riley Leonard is just one win away from leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to their first National Championship appearance in over a decade. Fresh off a hard-fought 23-10 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, Leonard’s performance has been one of the main factors leading to Notre Dame’s playoff run.
In the Sugar Bowl, Leonard may not have had the most amazing stat line, completing just 15 of 24 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. However, his dual-threat capability gave Georgia’s defense and Coach Smart fits all afternoon, rushing for 80 yards on 14 carries, including an airborne scramble on 3rd and long where he flipped for a first down. His play against Georgia earned him the Offensive MVP award of the game.
🎉 Miller-Digby Award Offensive MVP is Riley Leonard!
🏆 2025 #CFBPlayoff Quarterfinal at the @Allstate #SugarBowl @NDFootball // #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/3s998jwQ1Y
— Allstate Sugar Bowl (@SugarBowlNola) January 3, 2025
Tonight, Leonard faces another formidable opponent in the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State has had one of the most formidable defenses in the nation all season, and that dominance has continued through the College Football Playoff, allowing 14 points or fewer in both of their games. Penn State’s leading edge rusher, Abdul Carter, who has 11 sacks on the year, has been dealing with an injury and will be a game-time decision. If Carter is available, what was already going to be a tough night at the office for Leonard may become even tougher.
With only four teams remaining in the playoff—Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, and Notre Dame—and just one from the “SEC family” (or what some may even call our extended family), the Mobile-Baldwin County community will rally behind the Fighting Irish tonight and, hopefully, for the next few weeks leading to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Riley will return home to the 251 area soon, as he has already accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he will begin his next journey as a future NFL quarterback. This year’s Senior Bowl quarterback class is already full of elite names, including Jaxon Dart, Dillon Gabriel, and Jalen Milroe, with the possibility of more joining as well. If Riley can shine among a stellar class like this and put on a show tonight against Penn State, his draft stock will only continue to rise.
