The star quarterback, who led Notre Dame to an upset win over Texas A&M on Saturday, made a point of quoting a Bible verse during his post-game television interview and showing off a wristband with the verse engraved on it to the crowd.
Offseason transfer Riley Leonard from Duke completed 18 of 30 passes for 158 yards and led the Fighting Irish to a 23-13 upset victory over A&M, who were considered favorites going into the game. Leonard also rushed for 63 yards.
During a postgame interview with ESPN, Leonard pointed to his wristband, which had the Bible verse inscribed on it.
“My favorite poem is Matthew 23:12 “'He that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,' so that's a scripture I keep in mind every day,” Leonard said.
For those who saw my post and wondered what Riley represented, it is this. The humble man will be exalted in the Lord. Matthew 23:12 https://t.co/D9NZMGUBry
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) September 2, 2024
His faith-centered comments caught the attention of former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who describes himself as a Christian.
“Love you Riley! Keep representing!” Dungy wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Leonard remained humble throughout the remainder of his ESPN interview.
“I'm the one on the microphone right now, but if anyone's watching the game, I shouldn't be there,” he said.
Leonard is one of the team's five captains, an honor earned by team vote.
“I don't talk about myself much, but this is the greatest honor of my life,” he said, “… but everyone on this team is a leader. Not just me, not just the guys with the C on their chest.”
The attendance of 107,315 was the fourth-largest in Texas A&M history.
“This is an incredible crowd. This is what every kid dreams of,” Leonard said. “You look up and you can't see the end of the stands. This is an incredible place. God bless this football team.”
Riley Leonard was full of joy and humility in his post-game interview. It was great to see him praise his teammates. This is Notre Dame! #NotreDame #Riley Leonard #Let's go to Ireland pic.twitter.com/7cT0QJfF8d
— Brandon Tabor (@btabe) September 1, 2024
Leonard's Instagram profile also details his faith, writing, “Without God, there is no peace. Know God, you know peace.”
He grew up in Fairhope, Alabama.
“Every single person I've met in town has helped me with my faith, and I've been able to bring that faith here with me,” he said. Irish Tribune“Obviously, that's the most important thing in my life. When I go to bed at night, I don't think, 'How many touchdown passes did I throw?' or 'Did I win or lose?' I think, 'Did I improve my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my parents?'”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jack Gorman/Stringer
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
