Captain's choice: Who did Notre Dame football vote permanent captains for 2024 season?

SOUTH BEND — For the second straight season, Notre Dame football has included a transfer quarterback among its five team captains.

Duke senior transfer Riley Leonard was never formally named the starter, but Sunday afternoon’s announcement of his captaincy came as no surprise. This is Leonard’s second turn in the role after being voted a Blue Devils captain his junior year.

Former Irish quarterback Sam Hartman proceeded straight to the captain’s role in 2023 after his grad transfer from Wake Forest.

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“As a person, (Leonard) is who I want my son to be one day,” wide receiver Jayden Thomas said. “As a quarterback, you love someone like that who can walk through the building with a smile on his face no matter what happens. You’ll never know if he had a good day, great day or a terrible day. … We love that from our leader.”

The seventh-ranked Irish open the regular season on Aug. 31 at No. 20 Texas A&M.

Also named Sunday were linebacker Jack Kiser, defensive tackle Rylie Mills, cornerback Benjamin Morrison and All-America safety Xavier Watts. All four are first-time captains, and all four represent the highly ranked Irish defense.

Kiser, IndyStar Mr. Football in 2018 out of Pioneer High School in Royal Center, follows two-time selection JD Bertrand in the captain's role. Bertrand now plays linebacker for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s funny,” Kiser said during training camp. “The young guys will see some pictures on the walls in the Gug, and they’re like, ‘Kise, were you here for that game?’ 'No, that was 2012.' ”

Morrison, a junior projected as a first-round NFL draft pick after this season, spoke recently about his approach to leadership.

“I think my play speaks for itself, but I understand that being vocal means getting to know my guys a little more,” Morrison said. “Riley said something that was really good on his senior talk. He wants to help this team in any way he can, and that's how I see a leader.

“It’s a dude who's just a servant of his men. That's all I'm trying to do, is to serve my guys and show them I'm here for them.”

Morrison follows fellow cornerback and mentor Cam Hart, now with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, in the captaincy. Before Hart, Notre Dame hadn’t named a pure cornerback as team captain since Vontez Duff in 2003.

Watts, winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s top defender in 2023, joins former Irish safeties Kyle Hamilton (2021), Shaun Crawford (2020), Alohi Gilman (2019) and Jalen Elliott (2019) among 20 Notre Dame safeties to be named captain since 1973.

From 2019-23, Notre Dame named a total of 29 captains, including repeat choices.

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and the South Bend Tribune. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Captain's choice: Who did Notre Dame football vote permanent captains for 2024 season?