Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard surely received a text message before Monday’s college football national championship. The text will simply say: “You suck.” While this may seem harsh to many, the curious thing is that the message comes from his own mother and has become a tradition that has accompanied Leonard since his high school days.
The senior quarterback, who joined Notre Dame this season after transferring from Duke, even wears a wristband with those words inscribed. For him, this simple phrase is a source of inspiration before every game, including the highly anticipated final between No. 7 Notre Dame (14-1) and No. 8 Ohio State (13-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Related:
- CFP National Championship 2025: Date, start time, location and everything you need to know
- CFP National Championship Halftime Show 2025: Who is performing this year and all the details
- College Football Playoff winners list: check out every National Championship winner updated until today
- CFP National Championship Prize Money: How much money does the college football winner get?
- CFP National Championship Gatorade shower 2025: Color, how did the tradition start and more
Who is the mother of Riley Leonard?
Riley Leonard’s mother is Heather Leonard. She graduated from Charleston, South Carolina’s College of Charleston, with a degree in special education. Before being married to Chad Leonard., she held the position of director of education at the Sylvan Learning Center.
The origin of the tradition
“My mom, before every game, sends me a message that says: ‘You suck,'” Leonard explained in a video shared by ESPN on Instagram. “It all started in high school. I was tired of everyone always telling me how good I was. I needed someone to remind me that I wasn’t, to motivate me.”
Leonard was a standout athlete at Fairhope High School, Alabama, excelling in both football and basketball. In his senior year, he earned honors as a quarterback and averaged 20.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on the court, leading his team to an impressive 27-2 record.
In 2023, while still playing for Duke, Leonard and his parents had a strategy session after receiving increased media attention. “I needed someone to tell me I suck from time to time,” Leonard said on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” That’s when his mother, Heather Leonard, volunteered for the role. “I just told him, ‘You suck,'” Heather recalled. “It’s my way of telling him that I love him, that I support him, and that I’m with him.”
A new challenge with Notre Dame
This season, Leonard decided to transfer to Notre Dame after his coach at Duke, Mike Elko, left to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M. His arrival at the Fighting Irish not only represented a new challenge but also a family connection, as his great-grandfather, James E. Curran, played for Notre Dame in 1940.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman saw Leonard as the key piece to replace Sam Hartman, who had joined the Fighting Irish from Wake Forest the previous season. Freeman was not surprised to learn about the peculiar tradition between Leonard and his mother. “When I heard about it, it reminded me why he is so competitive,” Freeman said. “If that message helps him perform at the highest level, then so be it.”
This Monday, before stepping onto the field for the most important game of his career, Leonard received a message on his phone. And with those two simple words, “You suck,” he will find the motivation to give his best in pursuit of the national title.