What is written on Riley Leonard's wrist tape as Notre Dame QB makes religious gesture

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard approached his post-game interview with ESPN with cause for confidence, leading a game-winning drive just minutes earlier to lead Notre Dame past No. 20 Texas A&M and spoil College GameDay in College Station.

But the devout Catholic gunslinger instead met Holly Rowe with a message of humility, making sure to flash his wristband toward the camera which features his favorite Bible quote, Matthew 23:12.

"And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted," reads the passage from the New Testament's first book. This sentiment underscored much of his interview, telling Rowe that "I don't want to talk about myself too much" and "God Bless my teammates."

Leonard arrived in South Bend, Indiana this offseason as one of the nation's most coveted transfer quarterbacks, deciding to leave Duke for his final year of eligibility after coach Mike Elko flocked to Texas A&M, creating an awkward reunion for the two former Blue Devils on Saturday evening. With his rumored collective NIL earnings exceeding $1 million since he arrived on campus this offseason, the financial impacts of starring for the Fighting Irish are certainly evident, but Leonard insisted that growing his faith was a major aspect in choosing Notre Dame as well.

“Every single person in that city that I came into contact with helped me with my faith. I’m able to bring that here. Obviously, that’s the most important thing in my life,” Leonard told The Irish Tribune in February about committing to Notre Dame, a Catholic university.

“When I go to bed at night, I’m not thinking, ‘How many touchdown passes did I throw?’ ‘Did we win or lose?’ I’m thinking, ‘Did I better my relationship with Jesus Christ? Did I treat my girlfriend with respect? Did I call my parents?'”

These tenants of humility and faith have forged a strong relationship with his parents and a breakout sophomore season at Duke in 2022, where he threw for nearly 3,000 yards and led the Blue Devils in rushing during a breakout nine-win season. Leonard famously asked his mother to make him "You suck" bracelets that he wore in Durham and his father will regularly send him Bible verses throughout the offseason.

Leonard quickly emerged as the leader of the Notre Dame locker room despite missing nearly all of Spring practice due to foot surgery, bonding the team through his and the university's Catholic underpinnings. Taking part in a newly created Bible study group, Leonard was able to attract nearly half the Fighting Irish roster to these meetings.

"One of the biggest bragging points about this team is that we have like 40 guys show up to our Bible study sometimes every Thursday," Leonard told reporters during the offseason. "And that's really a credit to them, it started with just like five guys and it's grown to like 40. This team is just so close, and everything that we do we do as a unit."