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SOUTH BEND — Three words came immediately to Mike Denbrock’s mind when the new offensive coordinator for Notre Dame football was asked recently about Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard.
Competitive. Energetic. Curious.
Their highly anticipated collaboration is still in the conceptual stages, but with March 7 and the start of spring practice right around the corner, their fertile football brains are already dancing with possibilities.
“With Coach Denbrock coming in, he’s been incredible,” Leonard said at the start of February. “Obviously, you see what he did with Jayden Daniels, so I’m excited to see how he can evolve my game.”
In two seasons at LSU, Denbrock helped Daniels, the Arizona State transfer, blossom into a devastating dual threat with the 2023 Heisman Trophy on his mantel. Before that, Denbrock and current Irish quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli helped Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder parlay his mobility and accuracy into a 44-7 record over a four-year run as the Bearcats’ starter.
That included a 24-13 win at Notre Dame Stadium in 2021, Ridder’s senior year.
Even with Leonard coming off season-ending toe surgery and a mid-January TightRope procedure to repair a high ankle sprain, the 6-foot-4, 213-pounder is itching to learn Denbrock’s system.
“He wants specifics, he wants details, he wants absolutes,” Denbrock said. “Which, at this point, I can’t really give him 100% of the time, nor can I any of the other players on offense. He’s somebody that loves the game, and you can tell by talking to him that it’s important to him to know everything he needs to know about what he’s going to be out there doing.”
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/double-trouble-notre-dame-coordinator-080104228.html
Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-02-26 08:01:04
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