ATLANTA — At the time, they were two quarterbacks preparing for the biggest season of their lives.
Riley Leonard and Will Howard, the soon-to-be starting quarterbacks at Notre Dame and Ohio State, attended the famed Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State over the summer.
They were roommates, getting ready for the pressure cooker of big-time college football at two of the biggest brands in the sport.
in the Cotton Bowl. Getty Images
“We probably wouldn’t have imagined that a couple of months later, here we are playing for the national championship for two new schools, but it is pretty cool,” Howard said on Saturday, as Ohio State and Notre Dame continued preparations for the national championship game Monday night.
Their paths are eerily similar, as transfers who joined established programs and guided their respective schools to the final game of the season despite doubts and each suffering an ugly loss.
The two dual-threat seniors enjoyed some degree of personal success at their previous stops, Howard at Kansas State, Leonard at Duke.
But nothing compared to this season.
Howard set a career high this year in completion percentage (72.6), touchdown passes (33) and passing yards (3,779).
Leonard ran for 866 yards and 16 scores, both personal bests as well.
They have combined to account for 11 touchdowns in the playoff, each coming up big when the games matter most.
But their value exceeds their on-field ability. In both cases, they had to win over their new teammates in a short period of time.
There isn’t a more important position than quarterback. He is the leader.
Traditionally, that happens over multiple years, not months.
“I couldn’t imagine it,” ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said. “It’s hard to lead guys. It is just naturally difficult to have a gravitational pull with your teammates. It’s hard to cultivate the relationship necessary in a seven-to-eight-month period to have the guys depend on you when their career might end in an instant. That’s what’s most remarkable.“We can talk about the skill set, we can talk about throwing and catching and running and all that stuff is amazing, but when you’re the leader of the team and you are able to become the leader of the team in less than 12 months, that’s something that is totally overlooked. It took me years to develop [my teammates’] trust.”
In the cases of Howard and Leonard, they have proven to be uniquely likable individuals.
Notre Dame players raved about Leonard’s positivity, his refusal to get down even in tough situations, a smile always splashed across his face.
When projected starting left tackle Charles Jagusah suffered a torn right pectoral muscle in August, Leonard immediately sent him an inspirational video to cheer him up.
Leonard couldn’t practice in the spring, but that didn’t stop him from quickly forming relationships.
He used Quizlet to learn everyone’s name immediately and frequently set up golf outings during the summer.
“It really starts with how genuine a human being he is,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “People are attracted to that type of genuine [person]. Concern, care, tremendous work ethic — those are the things that win a locker room.”
Ohio State had similar things to say about Howard.
Upon his arrival in Columbus, he made it a point to fit in.
Yes, he was one of the big-name transfer additions and a key to the upcoming season, but Howard went out of his way to not stand out. He had a new playbook to master and teammates to befriend.
“At least for me and the way I went about my transfer is, I wanted to get to know everyone first and come in and not be trying to lead everyone and bark orders right from the get go, man,” Howard said. “Just coming in there and saying, ‘hey, I want to be a part of this. I want to be a Buckeye, like I want to understand what it’s about.’ I didn’t want to come on too strong.”
In both cases it happened organically, partly due to leadership but also performance.
McElroy described Leonard and Howard as throwbacks, quarterbacks who will give up their body if it means a pivotal first down.
They are new age in terms of their journey, reaching the biggest stage in the sport in their first year at a new school — the first time two transfer quarterbacks will start opposite one another in the national championship game.
“It’s crazy. When I first met him we were just two underrated guys who were out there trying to make a name for ourselves,” Leonard said. “To be here now, it’s come full circle for us.”