Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 7, 2024 17 day, although it sometimes came with frustration. "There are like seven Jaylens, six Jadens," Leonard said. "I was punching the wall with my girlfriend, like, 'God, Jaden, Jaylen!' So yeah, I studied it all the time with her and it obviously paid off." When he entered the Guglielmino Athletics Complex in January, Leonard would meet walk-on, backup special- ists who were taken aback that he knew their name right off the bat. It was clear to everyone that he wasn't just there to collect a name, image and likeness check. "He knew everyone's name the day he came in here, and when you're a freshman walk-on and the grad transfer quarterback comes in and knows your name, I think that's a pretty cool deal," Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli said. Leonard has never been one to act like he's above his teammates as the start- ing quarterback, going back to his days at Duke. When asked about him in March at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, then-Blue Devils center Jacob Monk's face lit up. He proceeded to reminisce about his quarterback rapping NBA Youngboy in the locker room after wins. But still, he couldn't truly take com- mand until his ankle healed. Shortly after the Blue-Gold Game April 20 — for which Leonard would have been questionable if it were a real game, but didn't partake in because the Irish were cautious for obvi- ous reasons — he was in command. "I thought it was over the summer- time," Notre Dame offensive coordi- nator Mike Denbrock said when asked when Leonard won the locker room. "I think once he got cleared health-wise to really begin full activity and really kind of dig in, his teammates could eas- ily spot not only his leadership ability, but his willingness to kind of dig in and work at an elite level." "You really start to see his leadership come out when he could start being at more of the workouts in the summer," Guidugli said. The biggest step Leonard took was a trip back home. In late May, he organized a getaway to Fairhope with six of his wide receivers: graduate students Beaux Collins, Kris Mitchell and Jayden Harrison, seniors Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas, and sophomore Jaden Greathouse. Fresh- man signal-caller CJ Carr and then- Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight came as well. The group trained with former long- time NFL QB Philip Rivers, building connections that the Irish hope will help them win games. "It helps bring all of us that much closer," Greathouse said about the trip. "It helps the offense, just with our chemistry and all the things that we're trying to get done, like timing and all those other things that are really per- sonnel-specific." They spent ample time together off the field, too, and they got to know their quarterback on a personal level. "It's cool to see his background and see where he comes from, and to see it first- hand going home with him to Alabama to see where his family comes from," Thomas said. "The way he's driven by his faith and, ultimately, to be a good person. "As a person, he is who I want my son to be one day, which is pretty cool." Throughout summer conditioning, Leonard's teammates were able to truly see what kind of worker he is for the first time. Thomas remembers all the times Irish strength coach Loren Landow had the team run a mile, and before he could even think about it, Leonard would be off to the races. "It's kind of weird how competitive he is, but also how nice he is as a person," Thomas said. "It's fun to see, and I can't wait to be on the field with him." GIVING IT RIGHT BACK The first day of fall camp, Leonard said, was the best feeling in the world. He loved camp so much he didn't want to leave the hotel. As much as Leonard put in the ef- fort throughout spring and summer, it's nothing compared to stepping onto the field in full pads, barking out signals at the line of scrimmage and making plays. "At some point, you've got to get in there," Leonard said. "You've got to start throwing these guys touchdowns." From Day 1, Leonard impressed Notre Dame's returning leaders on offense — he's the only offensive captain, but six others received double-digit votes — with his ability to command a huddle. "He's a natural leader," junior guard Billy Schrauth said. "You could tell right when he got here that he had those lead- ership skills and qualities that it takes to be the head guy of this team." Leonard's actions during and after plays proved his worth in his team- mates' eyes. Notre Dame's defense, the superior side of the ball a year ago, isn't afraid to talk trash. Leonard, an avid trash- talker himself, will return the favor. The offensive players, wide re- ceivers in particular, feed off their quarterback's energy. When they see their leader giving it to some of the nois- ier defensive players, Great- house explained, it boosts their confidence, too. "As an offense, that's good to know that he's not going to take any- thing," Greathouse said. "He's going to go out there and give it right back." For his senior talk, Leonard ex- pressed his desire to help his team in any way he can. That stuck with junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who was named one of Notre Dame's five captains himself. "That's how I see a leader," Morrison said. "It's a dude who's just a servant of his men. That's all I'm trying to do, is to serve my guys and show them I'm here for them." Leonard had set out to be a captain when he arrived in South Bend. By the time his teammates held a vote, it was a foregone conclusion. "That's a testament to the kind of guy that he is," Greathouse said. "He cares about every single player on the team. He shows that with his actions. To have a guy like that in our locker room, it makes us want to follow him." The work he put in to reach this point, Leonard explained, is just the start. "A lot of people, like, they get the achievement, 'Boom, I'm in,'" Leonard said. "Nah, that just motivates me more to be better every day." ✦ "These guys might not have my trust now, but I'm going to prove it to them every day, and I'm going to work every single day in the summer. So obvi- ously, I set a goal to be captain and it paid off." LEONARD