The 2025 NFL Draft is finally here. There are a number of prospects hoping to hear their name called over the course of the event, and Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is one such prospect with a good chance to be drafted.
Leonard was a one-year starter at Notre Dame. He had a solid season in South Bend, leading the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game while breaking the single-season school record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. With Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft on the horizon, let’s take a closer look at the parents who raised the Notre Dame star.
Meet Riley Leonard’s Parents, Chad and Heather Leonard
Chad and Heather Leonard met in high school and later married. They had Riley on Sept. 13, 2002. The Leonards have two other children, boys named Cole and Devin. It’s clear that family has had a major impact on the Notre Dame star’s life.
“I grew up playing every sport possible with my brothers, Cole and Devin. I also spent plenty of time fishing and enjoying the outdoors around Mobile Bay. My parents, Chad and Heather, have been there for us every step of the way, and I’ll always be grateful for the sacrifices they’ve made for me over the years,” Leonard wrote on his own website.
Heather and Chad are proud parents. They have expressed their pride in Riley on numerous occasions. Heather discussed back in September the “most rewarding” aspect of watching the 2025 NFL Draft prospect grow.
“The most rewarding part has really been, since Riley was little, we would get notes or texts or a parent would come up to us and be like ‘Riley’s a real role model to my son, he’s a leader and he’s inspired my son to do better at their sport or just in life and be the best that they can be.’ And that’s all we can ask for as a parent,” she told WKRG, a news outlet in Fairhope, Ala.
Chad and Heather both grew up near Washington, DC, but moved to Fairhope when the boys were young. They decided to settle down in the area after falling in love with the town.
“They’re outside barefoot running around. We’re from D.C., and it’s like, ‘What happened?’ ” Chad told The Athletic in August 2024. “We decided if we were gonna move to Alabama, we were gonna move to Alabama. There’s a farmer’s field behind us, cows, a pond, they’d go back and fish, get kicked off.”