Young Love
College Romance! Get to Know Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard’s Girlfriend Molly Walding
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard’s love life seems like it could come straight out of Friday Night Lights. The 22-year-old will take the field on January 20 in the College Football Playoff National Championship as the University of Notre Dame battles Ohio State University for the win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Although it’s not clear yet whether Ohio State or Notre Dame will take home the win, one thing is for certain: the Indiana-based team’s star quarterback will end the season with a triumph no matter what. Having been in a relationship with his girlfriend, Molly Walding, for nearly a decade, this quarterback has already scored in the game of love. Scroll down to learn more about the Notre Dame star’s romance.
Who is Molly Walding?
Molly Walding is Riley Leonard’s girlfriend. The quarterback has already settled down in a long-term relationship. Often sharing snapshots of each other with the world, the two proudly show off their love whenever they can.
Walding can often be spotted on the sidelines cheering Leonard on as he plays for the Fighting Irish. Her captions prove her pride. “Shoutout to @riley.jleonard for giving us something to look forward to every weekend!!!!! Still rooting for #13.”
View this post on Instagram
How did Riley and Molly meet?
The couple met in their hometown of Fairhope, Alabama. The small coastal city is located in Mobile Bay. They attended the same high school. During that time, Leonard was on the football team while Walding was a cheerleader. She’s always been his #1 cheerleader!
During their early years, Walding helped him find his faith. In a Players Tribune essay, the Fighting Irish quarterback revealed that he was a bit lost after fulfilling his childhood dream of making his high school varsity football and basketball teams.
View this post on Instagram
“I thought it was the coolest thing in the world … for about a week?” he began. “But then the high from it kind of faded … I felt this weird emptiness inside. And that’s when I started to pay attention as all these people in my life were preaching the Bible.”
Going more into the depth, Leonard opened up, “Whether it was on a mentor level, like some of my football coaches and pastors in the community, or it was on a personal level, like when I met my girlfriend Molly and she’d bring me to church. Once I started to find my faith, and find a purpose besides just being an athlete, I feel like the world kind of opened up for me. And I ran with it.”
Does Molly go to Notre Dame?
No, the two lovebirds are currently in a long-distance relationship. She is attending Auburn University in their home state of Alabama. Meanwhile, Leonard is all the way over in Indiana at Notre Dame.
They still find time for each other as Walding attends plenty of his games, and Leonard flies over to surprise her. She also traveled to Durham, North Carolina, when Leonard played for the Duke Blue Devils as a freshman in college.
Walding is currently a senior in college. The public relations student also spends time as the recruitment chair of her sorority, Omega Chi. Walding is involved with Auburn High School as a YoungLife leader.
What has Molly said about Riley?
Walding is pretty active on social media and often emphasizes how proud she is of her boyfriend.
In her most recent entry on Instagram, she captioned it, “Gameday! So proud and so excited (if I haven’t said it enough already!)!!!!!!! Cheering @riley.jleonard on for the rest of my days!!💚☘️💕🎉😊”
View this post on Instagram
The duo spends as much quality time together as possible, and Walding documents their ongoing love story. Leonard appears in many of her memories from all of their school breaks. From exploring Chicago to boating together, this pairing seems to know how to have fun anywhere!
College Football Playoffs National Championship, Monday, January 20, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN
