Greg McElroy Compares Top College Football Quarterback To Jayden Daniels

Marcus Freeman grabbed another promising quarterback through the transfer portal for the second straight year, bringing in former Duke Blue Devil Riley Leonard. Leonard committed to Notre Dame following Duke head coach Mike Elko's departure for Texas A&M, which gives the Fighting Irish a dual threat to replace the departed Sam Hartman.

In addition to a new quarterback, Freeman also brought Mike Denbrock back to South Bend as offensive coordinator. Denbrock replaces Gerad Parker, who left the program to become head coach at Troy. Denbrock was on Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers coaching staff last season and helped develop quarterback Jayden Daniels into the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said the pairing makes Leonard an exciting addition for Notre Dame, even stating that he sees similarities with fashion that Daniels performed before he played for Denbrock.

“I think it’s a great fit,” McElroy said of Leonard on College Football Live . “And I actually think that his skillset is pretty similar to that of a young Jayden Daniels, who Mike Denbrock – the new offensive coordinator – really did a tremendous job developing over the last couple years. He has great mobility. I mean, a tremendous athlete, a guy that can create with his legs.”

Daniels, who transferred to LSU in 2022 after three seasons at Arizona State, blossomed into an offensive dynamo under the tutelage of Mike Denbrock. During his Heisman-winning 2023 campaign, Daniels threw for 327 completions resulting in 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns. Additionally, Daniels collected 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Leonard has thrown for nearly 4,500 yards, which includes 2,967 yards and 20 touchdowns in his lone full season at Duke in 2022. However, McElroy mentioned Leonard has room to grow. He stated that Leonard's short pass accuracy is very impactful, but said that he could truly become a standout for the Irish if the medium and long-range pass game became more comfortable.

“The underneath accuracy is also excellent,” McElroy said. “So on the short throws, running around, he is awesome. One thing that he’s just got to grow with a little bit are the intermediates and the deep ball, because that’s the next step of the evolution. Because if he can start hitting those with more regularity, the sky is the limit.”

Notre Dame opens the 2024 campaign against Texas A&M from Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Aug. 31 at 7:30 pm (ET) airing on NBC.

Related: Nation's No. 1 Cornerback Commits To Elite SEC Powerhouse