For Ohio State, Ed Terwilliger, the director of high school relations, and a few other staff have been out on the trail keeping tabs on the 2026, 2027 and 2028 classes. Earlier in the month, despite position coaches not being on the road, a myriad of offers went out to a handful of prospects.

And of course, quarterback Riley Leonard is from Fairhope, Ala., southeast of Mobile. He came to Notre Dame via transfer from Duke, but he also grew up a Fighting Irish fan, his great grandfather having played for Notre Dame in the 1940s.

Ohio State is chasing its first college football national championship in a decade, while Notre Dame has not won since 1988.