Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates with fans in the stands after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Coach: Colts' Riley Leonard 'Isn't Near His Ceiling'

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Jake Arthur | Last updated May 7, 2025 8:00 AM ET

In the NFL, when a team's quarterback position isn't settled, it's wise business to invest in the position until it is settled. The Indianapolis Colts will conduct a competition this summer between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones to determine who their starting quarterback will be. However, a guy that they just drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft could factor into the team's foreseeable future.

The Colts selected Riley Leonard out of Notre Dame with the 189th pick in the draft, punctuating an evaluation process that the Colts had been sold on for quite some time.

They followed his career from Duke to Notre Dame, and met with Leonard multiple times throughout the pre-draft process, including a visit from head coach Shane Steichen at Leonard's pro day -- the only one Steichen attended. Leonard also received the stamp of approval from one of his mentors and someone held in high regard with Steichen, general manager Chris Ballard, and throughout the Colts organization: former quarterback Philip Rivers.

Rivers and Leonard are both from Fairhope, AL, and Rivers has been training Leonard for over a year now. Steichen and Rivers crossed paths while the pair were with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers from 2014-19. Rivers was with the Colts in the 2020 season -- the last time the team made the playoffs -- and a season that Ballard still reflects on fondly.

"The thing about Riley, he's going to do all those things right," Rivers told Colts.com recently. "He's going to be there early. He's going to end up being an asset to the whole quarterback room in terms of preparing the starter for the season, all while he's getting himself better. It'll be a good working environment for Riley and Shane and that offensive staff — I know a handful of those guys as well — they'll do a heck of a job."

Hearing from people around football circles, it's hard to get much negative about Leonard. To this point in his career, he's been a run-dependent player who's been limited as a passer, but many people see the upside, including his former head coach with the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman.

"A lot of the talk is, he's an ascending player," Freeman told ESPN college football reporter Adam Rittenberg. "He'll be a guy that isn't near his ceiling. He can continue to improve, which is intriguing for the NFL."

Leonard is behind Richardson and Jones this year, replacing free-agent departure Sam Ehlinger as the Colts' QB3 and potential in-season gameday emergency quarterback. Technically, Leonard will compete with Jason Bean for the role, but the Colts haven't hidden their adoration for Leonard.

“I just think the athletic ability that he has at the quarterback position, what he was able to do at Notre Dame this year, leading them to the National Championship speaks volumes of the player and the competitor that he is," Steichen told reporters about Leonard after the draft. "Just to add that depth in that room is big.”

Leonard (6'4", 216) was a career 63% passer with 45 touchdowns through the air in 37 college starts for Duke (2021-23) and Notre Dame (2024), also rushing for 2,130 yards and 36 touchdowns. He compiled a 27-10 record as a starter, including four bowl game wins.

While Leonard certainly doesn't factor into the top of the Colts' quarterback depth chart in 2025, that's not to say things couldn't develop down the road. The Colts see him as someone just scratching the surface of his potential, a leader, and a player who elevates those around him, as he did both with Duke and Notre Dame, leading the latter to a National Championship appearance.

Regardless of what he has and has not been as a player to this point, what can't be disputed are Leonard's leadership qualities and track record of success, evidenced by being a team captain for two separate programs as well as a three-time bowl game MVP.

While Leonard must watch and learn in 2025, if the Colts' quarterback situation remains a toss-up next offseason, don't be surprised for the Colts to be enamored by what they've already got in-house.