‘You suck’: The family text that led former Fairhope star Riley Leonard to the College Football Playoff semifinals
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When Riley Leonard was at Fairhope High School, everyone knew he had an athletics career ahead of him. He made a name for himself on the basketball court and on the football field.
But the praise he got from his family, friends and the community isn’t what stood out the most. It was a two-word text from his mother, Heather, that has become a gameday tradition.
“You suck.”
See why the phrase has meant so much to Leonard + find out how you can watch the Notre Dame quarterback in the College Football Playoff.
From Fairhope to the CFP
Riley Leonard was a star at the high school level. He had Division I offers to play both basketball and football.
“I was tired of everyone telling me how good I was… I need somebody to, you know, tell me I suck every once and a while to give me some motivation.”
~ Riley Leonard via ESPN
In May 2020, he made the decision to play football at Duke. The story of the gameday motivation from his mother was first picked up by ESPN in 2023, featuring her on the weekly College Gameday show. She even provided “You suck” wrist bands to the gameday crew on air.
Leonard spent three seasons with the Blue Devils, playing in 27 games before deciding to transfer and become one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the portal. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said the story of the text showed why Leonard is so competitive.
In one season at Notre Dame, Leonard has accounted for:
- 13 wins
- 18 passing touchdowns
- 15 rushing touchdowns
- 3,214 yards of offense
But he still has at least one more game to add to those numbers and a chance to add to the Notre Dame trophy case.
College Football Playoff semifinals
The first 12-team College Football Playoff has dwindled down to the final four teams competing for a national championship. The semifinals will be Thursday and Friday night with Leonard and Notre Dame squaring off against Penn State first.
The Fighting Irish is hoping to secure its first national championship game appearance since 2012 when it lost to Alabama. Thursday’s game kicks off at 6:30PM central time and will air on ESPN.
The winner of Thursday’s game will play the winner of Friday’s game between Texas and Ohio State. The national title game will be played Jan. 20.
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