GREENSBORO, N.C. — All of the ACC schools' mascots' identities are anonymous but one: the Notre Dame leprechaun. 

What You Need To Know

There are 15 mascots in the ACC

Ryan Coury is a junior at Notre Dame and is the school's mascot

Coury is one of four mascots for the school

Ryan Coury is known courtside at any game he attends as one of the most energetic people there, and he hypes up everyone around him.

Coury says when it comes to being the mascot, each person is unique and does their own thing when they suit up.

“It’s about loving Notre Dame. It’s about expressing how you do that in your own unique way … It’s a lot of fun. I mean you get to have a lot of creativity with the role,” Coury said.

He tried out last year after working for Notre Dame’s broadcast team.

“I was always right next to the cheerleaders and mascot last year, and I was always trying to hype people up,” Coury said. “So I knew some friends on cheer, and they said, 'let’s give it a shot, let’s try out,' and I did. I guess it worked out, and I ended up wearing green.”

Coury not only wears green, but he embraces it. He said being the leprechaun comes down to three things: “You gotta have a passion for it. You gotta love it, or else you can’t do it, and you gotta have a lot of water. You sweat a lot out, you got to put a lot in,” he said. 

When it comes to being a mascot in general, Coury said staying fit is important.

“It’s actually a lot of cardio. You have to have a lot of energy and frankly a lot of caffeine behind the scenes too,” he said.

Coury’s favorite thing about being a mascot is interacting with fans.

“You get to make their day! Every time you talk to somebody, or pull a little antic, it brings them joy. And that's, that's the real part of it that makes me happy,” he said.