Riley Leonard

Last updated

Riley Leonard
2025-0118 Riley Leonard.jpg
Leonard in 2025
No. 15 – Indianapolis Colts
Position Quarterback
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2002-09-13) September 13, 2002 (age 23)
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight213 lb (97 kg)
Career information
High school Fairhope (Fairhope, Alabama)
College
NFL draft 2025: 6th round, 189th overall pick
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Passing attempts 67
Passing completions 39
Completion percentage 58.2%
TD–INT 2–3
Passing yards 415
Passer rating 67.7
Rushing yards 27
Rushing touchdowns 2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Riley James Leonard (born September 13, 2002) is an American professional football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Leonard was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

Leonard was born in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and moved to Fairhope, Alabama when he was in kindergarten. [1] [2] Leonard attended Fairhope High School where he played football and basketball. [3] As a senior, he passed for 1,900 yards and 25 touchdowns and had 500 rushing yards. He committed to Duke University to play college football, but also received offers to play college football from Nebraska, Syracuse, and Tulane, among others. [4] [5] Leonard also played basketball in high school, receiving offers to play college basketball from programs like Saint Mary's, North Alabama, Samford and Missouri State. [6] [7]

College career

Leonard played in seven games and made one start as a true freshman at Duke in 2021. For the season, he completed 37 of 62 passes for 381 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Leonard was named the starting quarterback entering his sophomore season in 2022. [8] [9] [10] On November 29, 2023, Leonard announced he would be entering the transfer portal. [11] On December 12, 2023, Leonard announced he would be transferring to Notre Dame. [12]

Statistics

SeasonTeamGamesPassingRushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2021 Duke 710–1376259.73816.111113.4471733.72
2022 Duke 13139–425039263.82,9677.6206141.11246995.613
2023 Duke 774–39516557.61,1026.733116.0583526.14
2024 Notre Dame 161614–226940366.72,8617.1218139.61849064.917
Career 433727–106511,02263.77,3117.24518134.84132,1305.236

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand spanWingspan
6 ft 3+3⁄4 in
(1.92 m)		216 lb
(98 kg)		31+5⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		6 ft 5+1⁄8 in
(1.96 m)
All values from NFL Combine [13] [14] [15]

Leonard was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts with the 189th pick. [16] He signed a four-year contract with the Colts on May 9, 2025. [17] Leonard started the season as the third string quarterback, behind Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson. [18] He was then promoted to the primary backup in Week 6 when Richardson sustained an orbital fracture while warming up for a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. [19] Leonard made his NFL debut in Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans, completing neither of his two passes and rushing once for one yard. [20] During a Week 14 game against division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, Leonard entered the game after Jones suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the second quarter. Leonard remained in the game, completing 18-of-29 passes for 145 yards as well as one interception. He also ran twice for five yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. [21] After Jones' season-ending injury, the Colts signed Philip Rivers out of retirement and announced he would start the next game against the Seattle Seahawks in an attempt to keep up their playoff hopes, indicating Leonard would remain as the backup. [22] Following a Week 17 loss to the Jaguars, and elimination from playoff contention, the Colts announced that Leonard would start over Rivers for the season finale. [23] Against the Houston Texans, Leonard completed 21-of-34 passes for 270 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran three times for 21 yards and one touchdown. [24]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGamesPassingRushingSacksFumbles
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ALngTDIntRtgAttYdsY/ALngTDSckYdsFumLost
2025 IND 510–1396758.24156.2662367.76274.511221722
Career 510–1396758.24156.2662366.76274.511221722

Personal life

Leonard is a Christian. [2] He proposed to his high school sweetheart, Molly Walding, on July 10, 2025. [25]

References

  1. ↑ Miller, Andrew (September 3, 2023). "Duke's Riley Leonard, son of ex-Citadel basketball player, blazes own trail". Post and Courier. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Sampson, Pete (August 16, 2024). "Notre Dame's Riley Leonard, the small-town QB with big-time ambitions". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Ben (June 16, 2020). "Duke football commit Riley Leonard is top Coastal Athlete". AL.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Ben (May 18, 2020). "Fairhope 2021 QB Riley Leonard commits to ACC school". AL.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  5. ↑ Mink, Nate (September 21, 2023). "After coveted QB recruit chose Duke, SU mined portal and landed its own star". Syracuse Post-Standard . Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ Krest, Shawn (May 23, 2020). "Riley Leonard: If Coach K Wants to Give Me a Shot, Who Knows?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Ben (May 4, 2020). "Fairhope 2-sport star 'leaning' toward football future". AL.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  8. ↑ Adelson, Andrea (August 28, 2022). "Duke names Leonard as starting QB vs. Temple". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Ben (August 31, 2022). "No surprise that Fairhope's Riley Leonard is QB1 at Duke". AL.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  10. ↑ McNanna, Cole (October 26, 2022). "Air Leonard: Former Fairhope Pirate quarterback leading resurgence of confidence, swagger in Duke football: Blue Devils on verge of bowl eligibility for first time since 2018". Gulf Coast Media.
  11. ↑ VanHaaren, Tom (November 29, 2023). "Duke quarterback Leonard enters transfer portal". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ Thamel, Pete (December 12, 2023). "Duke QB Leonard transferring to Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  13. ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Riley Leonard Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Riley Leonard College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Full list of NFL combine 2025 measurements and 40-yard dash times, plus winners and losers from every position". CBSSports.com. March 3, 2025. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
  16. ↑ Holder, Stephen (April 26, 2025). "Colts select quarterback Riley Leonard in 6th round of the NFL draft". ESPN . Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  17. ↑ Newell, Nat (May 9, 2025). "Colts sign seven draft picks; see who signed and estimated contracts". The Indianapolis Star . Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ "2025 Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart Heading into NFL Week 1". FOX Sports . FOXSports. September 2, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  19. ↑ Holder, Stephen (October 12, 2025). "Colts' Richardson sustains orbital fracture in equipment mishap". ESPN . Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Box Score, Titans at Colts". ESPN . ESPN. October 26, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dec 7, 2025". FOX Sports . FOXSports. December 7, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ Gordon, Grant (December 13, 2025). "Colts to start Philip Rivers vs. Seahawks just days after QB came out of retirement". NFL . Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Philip Rivers' brief comeback to end as Colts opt to start Riley Leonard vs. Texans". Sportsnet.ca. Associated Press. December 31, 2025. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Box Score, Colts at Texans". ESPN . ESPN. January 4, 2026. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
  25. ↑ Shepkowski, Nick (July 10, 2025). "Former Notre Dame Star Quarterback Announces Engagement". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved July 18, 2025.

Further reading

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