SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jep Leonard will be watching from his couch Monday night. Maybe this view is better anyway.
The grandfather of Notre Dame’s quarterback can pause and replay plays at will. The price is also reasonable. So, as Riley Leonard leads Notre Dame against Ohio State inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, chasing the Warriors’ first national championship in 36 years, one of his role models will be at home in a 900-square-foot brick house in Fairhope, Ala., without much of a lawn. .
“He’s been a role model my whole life,” the Notre Dame quarterback said. “A lot of the lessons I learned came from him.”
This doesn’t mean that Riley memorizes his grandfather’s lines or how to deliver them. No one had ever met a stranger, at least one wearing Notre Dame or Duke before that. The other plays quarterback, where part of the job is being open, like it or not. Jeep loves it. Riley, less so, no matter how much he looked like he became the face of Notre Dame football during the longest season in school history.
However, there will be a little of Notre Dame’s quarterback in Fairhope on Monday, just as there will be a little of Jeb Leonard on the Irish sideline. Parents Heather and Chad will be in the stands with their other two sons, Devin and Cole. Riley’s friend Molly Walding will also be in attendance. Jeb will be there in spirit.
Gibb attended Notre Dame’s victories over Georgia and Penn State. When the family rented a house in New Orleans, Gibb stayed at the La Quinta Inn. When the family stayed at a hotel in Miami, Jeb got a $42 rental near the beach (“a shack” according to Chad). He played home games against Stanford and Virginia as well. The rest he watched from home, watching his middle grandson achieve his dream in South Bend after transferring from Duke.
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About 10 years ago, Jeb moved from Washington, D.C., to Alabama to be closer to family, where he gets the live version of three boys finding their way through sports. He analyzed Fairhope basketball when games were streamed online, and was never at a loss for words. The three boys played there. Riley was the state player of the year.
“I can watch any football game without having any real emotions, but it’s a completely different story when there’s blood on the field,” Gibb said. “The journey has been absolutely amazing. I’m really proud of the boy. He’s really stepped up.”
The feeling is mutual.
Jeb Leonard is a huge inspiration to his grandson, Riley. (Courtesy of Leonard’s family)
Riley Leonard wouldn’t know his grandfather without trips to Zimbabwe.
Gibb began traveling to Africa 20 years ago on a church charity trip. He saw how communities lived in the northwestern part of the country, far from the gated communities of Washington, D.C., and their eight-bedroom estates. Running water was rare. Reliable food sources were rare. A one-week trip during the summer of 2004 became two trips. Then it became a month. Then two. And now Six, blurring the lines between what actually is home.
Gib Leonard started the Buy a Brick Foundation to raise money for building projects in the villages. It has helped build 40 school buildings, 22 large community gardens, and one medical clinic, with a second clinic about to be operational. It works with the government and local tribes to irrigate with water from the Zambezi River, which feeds Victoria Falls.
“The Lord shouted at me the first time I was there,” Gibb said. “You get a wake-up call when kids have to walk two miles to get a five-gallon bucket of water instead of going to school.”
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Both Riley Leonard’s brothers made the trip to Zimbabwe. His parents are going for the first time this summer. The foundation built a hostel 10 years ago that can accommodate 38 volunteers. When not in use, they can be rented out, with the money going toward the purchase of the bricks. Gibb, 70, owns a small house on the property where he lives with his wife, Lee. Riley didn’t get a break in his schedule long enough to make the trip, although he did send T-shirts from his summer camps to the villages.
“I think Riley really wants to make an impact on the world in a positive way. When you’re a kid, you don’t really know how to do it,” Chad said. “But you see someone do it like Jeb and you’re affected by it. He played a role in teaching Riley how to give back and give back to others.
“When you know what the dollar will do in Zimbabwe, you don’t spend $1,500 on a ticket.”
Around Notre Dame, Leonard volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, which supports families of sick children. When he signed his autograph at Dick’s Sporting Goods in September, he kicked NIL money into his offensive line. Leonard knows that everything matters, even if what his grandfather did in Zimbabwe is on a different scale.
When Buy A Brick began operating that first medical clinic, it was in response to a buffalo attack on a 15-year-old girl named Leona. She suffered a compound fracture in her left leg and was rushed to Victoria Falls Hospital for surgery because there was no care. Medical doctor in her village. After a year and a half, Leona returned to the girls’ soccer team. The clinic was named after her.
“When I go through the ups and downs this season, I kind of think about that and the people it affects out there,” Leonard said. “Having that perspective helps a lot. You know there are kids that have to go through a lot worse than losing a football game.”
Riley Leonard makes Notre Dame play for its first national title since 1988. (Courtesy of Leonard family)
Riley Leonard walked into Notre Dame’s locker room two days after its loss to Northern Illinois, trying to keep his head down. The program went from national title contender to finish line in one week, winning the big game at Texas A&M before collapsing at home to NIU. Leonard threw two interceptions in the biggest upset of the season.
Marcus Freeman has already tried to reset the quarterback, telling him he’ll one day be thankful for the worst afternoon of his life. Leonard Freeman heard. It’s not clear he listened.
As the quarterback made his way to the locker room before practice, two younger players called him out — not because of bad throws 48 hours earlier, but because Leonard still seemed full of them. Leonard has been vocal with his faith since his time at Notre Dame. Now he seems to be putting it back in his pocket.
“Dude, you say this is faith, family, and football, but a football game two days ago totally affects your family and your faith. “Tell me how that works,” Leonard remembers hearing. “That kind of shook me up a little bit.”
Leonard hasn’t lost since. It’s impossible to account for all the reasons behind this, from Freeman reassigning quarterback to offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock better understanding how the game is called for him. Leonard gets plenty of support from back home in Fairhope, too: parents, brothers, old coaches and a grandfather. Gib likes to text Riley and make sure the quarterback knows he doesn’t need to respond, ending messages with “no need to respond.” He has enough on his plate already.
“He’s careful not to blow up my phone,” Riley said. “It’s funny. A lot of times, the people closest to me are the people who kind of understand that you have to buckle down a little bit.”
Although holding back isn’t Gib Leonard’s default setting — he’s quick to show videos on his cell phone of his grandson’s dunks or recount old Fairhope game losses that still nag at him — he gets it. He’ll be watching from home on Monday, witnessing one of the biggest games in Notre Dame football history through the lens of perspective when the Irish kick off the game against the Buckeyes.
No matter what happens, Riley Leonard will take the field with a little of his grandfather with him.
“He says the most selfish thing you can do in life is help someone else,” Riley said. “People don’t know what he means. But he thinks it’s selfish to help someone else because you get more from him. The act of giving is superior to the act of taking.”
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(Top image: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
