Riley Leonard and Molly Walding Courtesy of Molly Walding/Instagram
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard had quite the cheering section at the Orange Bowl on Thursday night — including his longtime girlfriend, Molly Walding.
Walding was in the stands at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium next to Leonard’s parents, Chad and Heather, for the Fighting Irish’s dramatic 27-24 victory over Penn State, which earned Notre Dame a trip to the College Football National Championship on Monday, January 20.
“PINCH ME!!!!!!! 😭💚☘️,” Walding posted via her Instagram Story, showing a wide shot of Leonard, 22, and his teammates celebrating on the field under a shower of confetti.
Walding eventually found her way to Leonard after the game and posted a selfie of the happy couple via her Story. “I’m GIDDY! Turning dreams into reality!!!!!!!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚,” she captioned a photo.
Courtesy of Molly Walding/Instagram Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard and his girlfriend, Molly Walding, have a love story almost a decade in the making. Leonard, 22, and Walding have been in each other’s lives since they both attended Fairhope Middle School in Fairhope, Alabama. Since then, the couple has experienced it all — from high […]
During his postgame interview with SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang, Leonard said he was anxious to see Walding and give her an orange that he was saving from the team’s postgame celebration.
Riley Leonard #13 of Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with his team after winning the game against Penn State Nittany Lions at Hard Rock Stadium on January 9, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Michael Pimentel/ISI Photos/Getty Images
“I’m looking for my girlfriend, hopefully I can give her one,” Leonard said. “She loves oranges…Let’s hope we find her right now.”
Leonard and Walding, currently a student at Auburn University, have been dating since December 2017, when they were students together at Fairthorpe High School in Fairthorpe, Alabama.
Their friendship dates back even further, as evidenced by a picture Walding posted via Instagram in September 2016 when the two were students at Fairthorpe Middle School.
When the couple celebrated their six-year anniversary in December 2023, Leonard gushed via Instagram, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. Happy 6 years.”
As for Leonard’s on-field performance on Thursday night, it came with a bit of a scare. Near the end of the first half, the quarterback was pulled from the game due to concussion protocol after taking a big hit. Backup quarterback, Steve Angeli, executed the team’s final drive of the half in Leonard’s absence.
However, Leonard returned for the second half after being cleared and helped lead Notre Dame to the school’s first national championship game since 2013.
“I knew I was going to get back out there,” Leonard told ESPN after the game. “Obviously, safety first on the football field. I just kind of had to prove to everybody that I was fine. I got up a little wobbly, but it’s all good.”
Notre Dame will play the winner of the other College Football Playoff semifinal between Ohio State and Texas — who face off in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, January 10 — when in the National Championship from Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20.
