Why Jamestown's Harrison Leonard left Notre Dame to play football at URI
Jamestown resident Harrison Leonard was a backup kicker on the Notre Dame football team the past three seasons. The Avon Old Farms School graduate was an eyewitness to all the pre-game traditions associated with the storied program.
There were jet-squadron flyovers at Notre Dame home games as the Irish played top-20 teams on a near-weekly basis in front of a capacity crowd of nearly 78,000 spectators.
Among others, Notre Dame took on Florida State, Purdue and Wisconsin and finished its season with a setback to Oklahoma State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day.
Leonard graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in finance at the end of last season. He still has three years of eligibility remaining and entered his name in the transfer portal. He’s been training at Jamestown Middle School while waiting for the next opportunity.
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Last Wednesday, Leonard officially became a member of the University of Rhode Island football team.
The flyovers at URI — an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision team — most likely will consist of a single engine plane towing an advertising banner toward Narragansett Town Beach.
The Rams will play Stony Brook, Monmouth, Albany and other similar foes this season at 6,555-seat Meade Stadium.
“It really doesn’t matter to me,” Leonard said. “I only care that there’s field goal posts and a football. I trust that I’ll have an opportunity to compete for the job. It’s definitely a nice relief to get this done. As the season goes on, I hope it will continue to be good news.”
Seeking another opportunity
Leonard was the No. 9-ranked kicker in the country, according to ESPN.com, when he entered Notre Dame. Leonard booted an extra point last season, did not get on the field his sophomore year and kicked off twice as a freshman as starter Jonathan Doerer handled the kicking duties.
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“I graduated and was ready for another opportunity,” Leonard said. “Notre Dame has a new coaching staff.”
Other opportunities arose for Leonard — including at Ohio State and UCLA — but they didn’t meet all his needs as he pursues his Master of Business Administration.
“I entered the portal later on and got a lot of interest,” Leonard said. “But ultimately the best opportunity turned out to be right in my backyard.”
It had to have been a frustrating football experience for Leonard at Notre Dame, but he says he holds no animosity toward the university.
“They gave me an opportunity to graduate. I hold no grudges against them,” Leonard said. “I don’t think I have anything to prove to them.”
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While at Notre Dame, Leonard launched some businesses, including Our Playbook, an NIL (name, image, likeness) venture for college athletes. He will maintain those businesses while working toward his Master’s Degree.
“My goal is to get the MBA,” Leonard said. “With the help of the program here, I’d like to take my companies to the next level."
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Notre Dame football: Why kicker Harrison Leonard transferred to URI
