‘Underdogs’ Howard, Leonard will put friendship on hold in CFP title game

ATLANTA (AP) - It was one night last June when Will Howard and Riley Leonard stayed up late bonding over talk about their families, faith and what life might have in store for them.

"Genuine conversation," Leonard said Saturday.

Howard and Leonard first met two summers ago at the Manning Passing Academy but didn’t really get to know each other until seven months ago when they were assigned to be roommates at the prestigious quarterback camp in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

"We were both kind of underdogs when we met two years ago at the Manning camp, and a lot of people kind of counted us out," Leonard said. "So to be where we are now, it kind of turns that conversation into something really cool."

Where they are now is in Atlanta preparing to play in Monday night’s College Football Playoff championship game - Howard for Ohio State and Leonard for Notre Dame.

Shared experiences tend to draw friends closer together, and they’ve had a few. They’ve dealt with injuries. They’ve gone through the process of transferring from schools on the outside looking in during the race for national championships to schools long established in the college football hierarchy. Both brought lots of experience; neither would be considered a star.

While Howard led Kansas State to the 2022 Big 12 championship, his biggest postseason honor with the Wildcats was second team all-conference in 2023.

"I didn't know too much about Will," Ohio State offensive lineman Donovan Jackson said. "I didn't really dive into K-State tape like that, but once I watched him a little bit and once he came in and started showing his leadership and how he took hold of the offense, I knew we were going to be all right."

Leonard’s career was on the rise at Duke in 2022. He led the Blue Devils to nine wins and joined LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye as the only quarterbacks that season with at least 2,900 yards passing and 695 yards rushing.

A 4-0 start in 2023 began with an attention-grabbing win over Clemson. Then things spiraled. He injured his ankle against, of all teams, Notre Dame and his season ended two games later when he injured his toe against Louisville.

Both quarterbacks said they left their original schools to grow as players and see if they could win a national championship. They said the more lucrative name, image and likeness opportunities at Ohio State and Notre Dame were not big factors, though both said they appreciated the extra money.

Howard has been the Buckeyes’ starter from the beginning, navigating the one-point loss at Oregon and another crushing defeat to Michigan. Ohio State’s offense has elevated its game in the CFP, with the exception of the middle part of the semifinal against Texas. In the first three playoff games, Howard completed 73.8% of his passes for 919 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

"If you were to ask an 18- or 19-year-old Will Howard if he would be at Ohio State playing for the national championship, he'd probably say you're crazy, man," Howard said. "You've got to continue to believe in yourself no matter what, adapt and change. That was one of the biggest stories of my career, dealing with the change, dealing with adversity, dealing with success."

Leonard has led the Irish on a grinding path through the playoff, a run that has extended their winning streak to 13 games. He has completed 67% of his passes for 514 yards and three TDs, with three interceptions. He also has run 43 times for 145 yards and two scores. His signature play was his dive over a Georgia defender for a crucial third-down conversation in the second round.

"He’s a guy that in the most crucial moments wants the ball in his hands, and he wants to make a play, and most of the time he does," Irish coach Marcus Freeman said.

So here Howard and Leonard are, seven months removed from four nights as roomies to squaring off against each other in the biggest game of their lives.

"To see where we are now, it's really cool because he's a person I respect a lot," Leonard said. "I always try to root for other quarterbacks in college, especially after I meet them at that camp, because you realize we're all just dudes, all just kids trying to play the best for our teams and our universities."