Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard transferred to the Fighting Irish via Duke this offseason, and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard came to the Buckeyes from Kansas State. Without Leonard and Howard, it’s hard to imagine this being the National Championship matchup.

Now, he’s Senior Bowl-bound with the chance to be one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. With one last college football game to play, he has completed 66.4% of his passing attempts for 2,606 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

WKRG Sports team is in Atlanta to preview the College Football Playoff National Championship and highlight Fairhope-native, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard! Simone Eli and Gerhard Mathangani spoke with several Fairhope community members,

Ohio State's Will Howard and Notre Dame's Riley Leonard will meet in the national title game, months after they were roommates at a prestigious camp.

Neither QB was ranked in the top 600 nationally. Leonard signed with Duke, Howard with Kansas State. Here's the backstory.

Will Howard and Riley Leonard, seven months removed from being roommates, will put their friendship on hold in Monday's title game.

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.