ATLANTA – Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and his longtime girlfriend, Molly Walding, started a new tradition after playoff games this season.
They went to Five Guys for burgers and fries, because “he’s usually starving,” Walding told USA TODAY Sports last week. The two stood in line, just like everyone else, patiently waiting for their food. From time to time, a young fan would recognize Leonard. Walding would happily take a photo. Then the two would go back to eating.
Although the College Football Playoff national championship game against Ohio State on Monday night didn’t end with happy photos for Leonard and the Fighting Irish, the new Five Guys tradition could be an add-on to the things his family does when he’s playing sports.
“The support from my family members is unmatched,” Leonard said at Saturday’s CFP media day.
While most of the Leonard family can be found sitting with the other Fighting Irish families during a game, Leonard’s dad, Chad, is nowhere to be seen. It’s not because he’s not at the game. He prefers to walk the stadium concourses and watch his son play the game from his “secret spots.” This tradition dates all the way back to his son’s T-ball days.
The last time Leonard played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, when Notre Dame played Georgia Tech in October 2024, his dad walked around each level of the stadium, scouting out new spots to keep track of the game.
On Monday, he saw Leonard set the tone on the first drive, rushing for four first-down conversions and the game’s first touchdown.
Leonard, who finished with 238 yards and two TDs on 21-of-30 passing to go along with a rushing TD, lifted his right arm to the TV camera and flashed his sweatband that read “Matthew 23:12.” On Leonard’s left wrist was another wristband that reads “you suck,” a phrase that his mom, Heather, has texted him before each one of his games since high school.
Unlike his dad, Leonard’s mom sits in the stands, next to his older brother Cole and younger brother Devin, who have started a tradition of their own with Leonard at Notre Dame. They paint their bodies head to toe in green and gold.
Despite the 20-degree temperatures in Atlanta on Monday, the two walked from their tailgate to the stadium wearing nothing but that paint and their shorts to cheer on their brother.
This story will be updated with more information.
Ansley Gavlak is a student in the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Sports Media Certificate program.