‘Underdogs’ Howard, Leonard will put friendship on hold in CFP title game [Video]

ATLANTA — It was one night last June when Will Howard and Riley Leonard stayed up late bonding over talk about their families, faith and what life might have in store for them.

“Genuine conversation,” Leonard said Saturday.

Howard and Leonard first met two summers ago at the Manning Passing Academy but didn’t really get to know each other until seven months ago when they were assigned to be roommates at the prestigious quarterback camp in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

“We were both kind of underdogs when we met two years ago at the Manning camp, and a lot of people kind of counted us out,” Leonard said. “So to be where we are now, it kind of turns that conversation into something really cool.”

Shared experiences tend to draw friends closer together, and they’ve had a …