Leo Albano is ready to take part in Notre Dames's quest for national football title
Wednesday was a long day for Leo Albano, and you could tell he was tired during a phone interview in which the subject was about 1,000 miles away.
Albano is a former three-sport star for Bishop England and now is a member of the Notre Dame football team, which is preparing to play in the college football playoffs. The Irish will play Clemson in the first round Dec. 29 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Practice and preparation were an all-day affair for Albano, who is a preferred walk-on at the school. Wednesday’s schedule included a team breakfast, team meetings, weight lifting, another team meeting, lunch and practice, which lasted from 2:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. All in, it was an eight-hour day.
But Albano wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s excited to be on a team that is seeking its first national championship since Lou Holtz guided the team to the national title in 1988.
“It’s crazy,” Albano said. “I never thought I would get this lucky to be a part of something like this. I’m just happy to be here, to be in this situation. I’m just sitting back and enjoying the ride.”
College is always a challenging transition for a teenager, and Albano, who is a freshman in South Bend, is no exception. He’s an excellent student and finds classes on campus rewarding.
But the biggest difference is on the gridiron for Albano, arguably the best athlete in BE’s long and rich history. He was all-state in baseball, basketball and football.
He was a three-year starter on the football team and the quarterback rewrote the BE record book.
Albano, the Class AAA Lower State Back of the Year last fall, finished his high school football career at Bishop England with four school records.
He set school records for a single season in rushing with 1,639 yards in 2017. He also set the school record for touchdowns in a single season with 28.
Albano also owns two career records. He scored 67 career touchdowns and owns school best 4,017 career rushing yards. He had nearly 7, 600 total yards.
But he’s moved to wide receiver as a member of the Fighting Irish. And the position change isn’t the only transition he’s had to make.
“It was definitely a challenge,” Albano said of his first season with Notre Dame. “I’m not used to going from someone to no one. But I just put my head down and go to work. Sometimes, when it’s hard, you just keep on pushing through.”
The Irish play Clemson, and Albano, who turns 19 on Dec. 22, admits he was a big Tiger fan before committing to play for the school, which has a golden dome and an image of ‘Touchdown Jesus’ on its library.”
“They are awesome,” he said of Clemson. “They have a great football team. I used to be a huge fan, but I’m not a fan any more.
And neither is his mother, Wendy, who attended Clemson.
“She’s a fully converted Notre Dame fan, now,” Albano said. “Those are her words, not mine. I have my doubts, but I guess I believe her.”