I wasn’t dreaming of writing this until after Week 2 of the college football season, but it looks like Notre Dame has a Heisman contender on its hands.

Irish quarterback Riley Leonard has solidified himself as a Top 10 Heisman candidate according to On3, and if he continues his recent stellar play, it should surprise no one if he continues to climb those rankings as Notre Dame’s top 25 wins continue to pile up.

I wasn’t expecting Leonard’s name to be listed as a Heisman Trophy contender on Monday, but Notre Dame has been shown a huge amount of love from the national media lately, which was a pleasant surprise.

On Sunday, the Fighting Irish moved up four spots to No. 8 in the AP Poll, and now their quarterback, Riley Leonard, has officially been named to the Heisman race. What a great week already and it’s only Monday!

Leonard’s name is shocking at first glance because of the ups and downs he’s experienced so far in his short Notre Dame career. He started with a bang, defeating Texas A&M in College Station under former head coach Mike Elko.

He then followed that up with a bad loss against Northern Illinois.

But when looking deeper into Leonard’s statistics, it’s clear to see why he’s thrust into the national spotlight as a man who could be one of four Heisman finalists later this year.

We have seen a change in Riley Leonard since the loss to Northern Illinois. It may have taken time, but Notre Dame’s signal-caller has continued to progress in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s scheme, and it shows.

Leonard showed growth as a passer, significantly increasing his completion percentage and also becoming a nightmare for opposing defenses down the field. He scored 11 offensive touchdowns, averaging over six yards per carry.

Letting the play come to him and being more patient allowed receivers to open up the field and conversely allowed Leonard to run the ball more efficiently as he had to worry more about opposing defenses beating him. on top.

Leonard is averaging 175 passing yards and 1.67 passing touchdowns per game over his last three games, paired with 55 yards and 1.25 rushing touchdowns per game. Clearly something has fallen into place and the nation is taking notice.

It’s no secret that usually the Heisman winner is a dual-threat quarterback (Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson), and so is Leonard.

Aside from Notre Dame’s brand power, if Leonard can continue to put up significant numbers and lead Notre Dame to 11-1 and a berth in the College Football Playoff, don’t be surprised if he’s among the final four Heisman finalists.

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