For Notre Dame fans, it was known that when Sam Hartman transferred from Wake Forest to Notre Dame, it was a one-season deal. The Irish hoped it would help them get to the College Football Playoff, but the result was a 9-3 season with Hartman opting out of the upcoming Sun Bowl.
Not long after that was announced, word came that another quarterback was coming through the portal to fill the void left by Hartman.
Enter Riley Leonard…
Yes, another quarterback leaving an institution in North Carolina with high academic standards, this time Duke, to continue (and finish) his college career at Notre Dame.
There is reason to cheer as an Irish fan. Leonard is a duel-threat quarterback who can not only pass, but also run when necessary. Notre Dame learned that, as he rushed for 88 yards on 18 attempts, taking them to the brink before Hartman led a late drive to avoid the upset in Durham, while Leonard suffered an unfortunate ankle injury.
With college football turning into a free-for-all with Name, Image and Likeness, along with a more open transfer portal than in past years, will it be easier for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, and other top programs, to just go get a quarterback in the portal for one season than going out an recruiting one that may be a multi-season starter?
Simply put, are we going to see more of a college football equivalent of “One and Done” like John Calipari’s Kentucky men’s basketball teams?
The looser transfer rules were on display at this season’s Heisman Trophy ceremony, as three of the four finalists, who are quarterbacks, were on their second schools.
To be fair, recruiting quarterbacks out of high school is still important for the top programs in college football, but are those recruits content with being leap-frogged by a guy with one more year of eligibility who wants the best shot at a national title, and on a personal level, the Heisman?
Sean Gallagher 
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