All Riley Leonard had to do was smell the air to realize he was home.

Fresh off leading Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Leonard returned to his native Coastal Alabama over the weekend. The former Fairhope High School star is in Mobile to participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the annual college football all-star game and NFL draft showcase that takes place Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

“It’s really cool,” Leonard said Monday morning. “I mean, this is a special place. I got here and everybody was complaining about how cold it was. Coming from South Bend, this is like paradise to me. So, it’s good to be back. It just feels like home. You can smell it in the air. It’s a great city and I’m happy to be here. You can smell the sea as soon as you touch foot down in Alabama.”

Leonard is one of seven quarterbacks at this year’s Senior Bowl, a group that also includes Jalen Milroe of Alabama, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss, Seth Henigan of Memphis, Tyler Shough of Louisville, Dillon Gabriel of Oregon and Taylor Elgersma of Canada’s Wilfrid Laurier University. An eighth quarterback, Ohio State’s Will Howard, dropped out after playing in the national title game opposite Leonard last Monday.

Backing out of his Senior Bowl commitment was never an option for Leonard, he said. Even if the game wasn’t in his hometown, he said his competitive nature wouldn’t allow it.

“I never really thought about that,” Leonard said. “I’m just trying to play as many snaps as possible. If there’s a ball game that I get invited to, I’m going to go play in it.”

And to be truthful, Leonard probably needs the Senior Bowl to help improve his NFL draft stock. Though the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Leonard has the prototypical size for the position and is a gifted athlete, there remain questions about his passing ability as someone who grew up playing both football and basketball and did not devote himself full-time to the gridiron until he reached college.

Leonard played three years at Duke before transferring to Notre Dame prior to the 2024 season, and finished his college career with 7,311 yards and 45 touchdowns passing and 2,130 yards and 36 scores rushing. However, it’s the intangibles that might be his greatest selling point at the next level, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said.

“Well, first is leadership,” Nagy said. “… He’s a pretty special young man. His parents, I say it every time I talk about him, his parents did an unbelievable job with him. I think having the decision-makers (in Mobile), that’s the key thing for all these players. … Every scout in America, every team’s had scouts through South Bend to see Riley. But these head coaches and GMs that are making the picks at the end of April have not.

“So that’s where just for those guys to be around Riley and see him with his teammates, that’s what’s big for all these quarterbacks. And then seeing the athlete up close, I mean, we all know what a great athlete he is.”

Leonard spent much of his youth working with private quarterback coach David Morris of Mobile’s QB Country, and that relationship led him to Duke, one of just a handful of power-conference programs to offer him a scholarship. David Cutcliffe was then the Blue Devils’ head coach, and Morris played for Cutcliffe in the late 1990s at Ole Miss.

Cutcliffe retired after Leonard’s freshman year at Duke, and he transferred to Notre Dame two years later. He said having both of those schools on his resume will help him in life well beyond football.

“I was able to go and play at venues all across the country that are just like the best of the best and meet so many different people,” Leonard said. “We went to New York for Media Day this summer, and everywhere we went were Notre Dame fans in New York City. So, it’s crazy to have the brand of Notre Dame with you everywhere you go. And it’s just the beginning. I think the Notre Dame brand and the Duke brand will set me up for a lifetime. So, I’m excited for that.”

In the same way his Notre Dame degree and connections will help shape his future, Leonard helped the Fighting Irish recapture some of their lost glory in 2024. Notre Dame finished 14-2 and came within one win of their first national championship since 1988, falling to Ohio State 34-23 in the title game last Monday in Atlanta.

The loss to the Buckeyes left Leonard with one more game to play, and it takes place mere miles from where he grew up. During Leonard’s younger days, the Senior Bowl typically held one practice a week at Fairhope Stadium, giving him an even stronger connection to the event.

“It means the world,” Leonard said. “It’s just such a special moment for me. I’m trying to soak it all in because I have all these obligations and I’ve got to be locked in. But at the same time, I really got to take a step back and take a deep breath and enjoy where I’m at right now.

“So, it’s kind of hard to balance it. You imagine yourself being here your whole life and you think it’d be the coolest thing in the world. Then you get here and you’re like, all right, got to be perfect. I’ve got to do this, got to do that, a little bit overwhelmed. So, it’s a balancing act for sure.”

Senior Bowl practices take place Tuesday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Practices are free and open to the public.

Kickoff for the 2025 Senior Bowl is at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, with television coverage on NFL Network. A limited number of tickets for the game remain available, and can be purchased at seniorbowl.com/tickets.

Senior Bowl 2025 game week schedule

Monday, Jan. 27

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Rally, Cottage Hill Baptist Church, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 28

Senior Bowl practices (open to public)

National team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

American team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, noon-2 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 29

Senior Bowl practices (open to public)

National team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

American team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, noon-2 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 30

Senior Bowl practices (open to public)

National team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

American team, Hancock Whitney Stadium, noon-2 p.m.

USA Health Doc Rock, Soul Kitchen, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 31

Saints Cheer Krewe clinic, Jaguar Training Center, noon-3 p.m.

— open to high school-aged cheerleaders and dancers

— cost, $75

Friday Night Street Party (Downtown Mobile)

— Player parade, 6 p.m.

— Free concert featuring Eli Young Band & Sammy Kershaw, Cathedral Square, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 1

Senior Bowl Fan Fest (free), South Lawn of Hancock Whitney Stadium, 10:30 a.m.

Legacy Tailgate HBCU Experience (free), South end of Jaguar Training Center, 10:30 a.m.

Path to the Draft players walk, outside Hancock Whitney Stadium, 11 a.m.

Senior Bowl game, Hancock Whitney Stadium, 1:30 p.m.

— performances by Jaguar Marching Band & Saints Cheer Krewe