What is on Riley Leonard's wristband? Notre Dame QB features Bible verse on his arm for national title game

Morgan Moriarty

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What is on Riley Leonard's wristband? Notre Dame QB features Bible verse on his arm for national title game image

Notre Dame got off to a great start against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Led by quarterback Riley Leonard, the Irish marched to an 18-play, 75-yard, scoring drive that took  9:45 off the clock in the first quarter against the Buckeyes.

Leonard capped off the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. After the play, he pointed to his wristband while ESPN's cameras showed him celebrating.

Here's what was on Leonard's wristband, and what it means.

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What did Riley Leonard's wristband say?

Leonard had a bible verse on his wristband, Matthew 23:12. The verse reads: "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

The 22-year-old quarterback has been wearing the wristband throughout the season, as he wore it during the Irish's Week 1 game against Texas A&M:

Notre Dame (14-1) managed a 23-13 road victory in that game to kick off a successful season. And Leonard has been open about the impact of his Catholic faith.

“Shoot, I just started trusting in the Lord. I looked up an said, ‘Jesus, whatever your will is for my life, I trust it 100%,’" Leonard said after Notre Dame's semifinal win over Penn State. "This offense and this team trusts in Jesus and his plan for this season.”

Leonard also leads a team bible study with Notre Dame every week: 

We'll see how Leonard does against Ohio State the rest of this game. For now, he's off to a strong start.

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty joined The Sporting News as a content producer in the fall of 2024. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL and numerous other major sports for outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She also covers college football for Bleacher Report, and is a featured guest on various CNN programs.