What Duke football coach Mike Elko said about quarterback Riley Leonard’s ankle injury
The right ankle injury Duke quarterback Riley Leonard suffered late in Saturday night’s 21-14 loss to Notre Dame doesn’t appear to be a season-ending situation, Duke’s medical staff determined Sunday.
While the timeline for his return remains fluid, expectations are that Leonard will be available to play for the No. 19 Blue Devils again this season provided there are no setbacks in his recovery.
On Tuesday night, during his weekly radio show, Duke football coach Mike Elko struck an optimistic tone when addressing Leonard’s situation
“The news is about as good as it possibly could have been,” Elko said, adding that Leonard’s `spirits were high’ when he saw him in the training room earlier on Tuesday.
With Leonard receiving treatment on the injured right ankle and lower leg, the coaches and medical staff will need this week and into next week to determine precisely when Leonard could return to play.
“We’ll figure out exactly how much he’s going to miss in the next week or so,” Elko said.
The Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0 ACC) don’t have a game scheduled this week. They return to play on Oct. 14 at home against N.C. State. Following that game, the Blue Devils have road games against two teams that are currently undefeated — No. 5 Florida State on Oct. 21 and No. 25 Louisville on Oct. 28.
A junior in his second season as Duke’s starter, Leonard fell to the Wallace Wade Stadium turf in pain, clutching his lower right leg after Notre Dame defensive lineman Howard Cross III landed on Leonard’s leg while sacking him. Leonard fumbled on the play and the Irish recovered with 18 seconds left, allowing them to run out the clock.
.JPG "RAL_093023-DUKE-NOTREDAME-KLM-10 (1).JPG")
Leonard was helped to the bench without bearing weight on his right leg. After an initial examination in the sideline medical tent, Leonard used crutches to leave the field and join his teammates in the locker room.
“He’s a competitive kid,” Elko said Tuesday. “In his mind, he’s going to be back next Monday for practice. I’m not sure that that’s completely real.”
Redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV is behind Leonard on Duke’s depth chart at quarterback. Belin played in one game, a total of 21 snaps, during his redshirt season last year. This season, he’s played in two games, completing all eight of his passing attempts for 118 yards and a touchdown.
But because Belin was suffering from an undisclosed injury, he did not play in relief of Leonard when the Blue Devils beat Connecticut, 41-7, on Sept. 23. Freshman quarterback Grayson Loftis played in that game, but didn’t attempt a pass.
Duke’s coaching staff will use practices this week and next to determine a depth chart for the N.C. State game.
This season, Leonard has completed 79 of 126 passes (62.7%) for 912 yards, with three touchdown passes and one interception. He’s rushed for a team-best 326 yards on 47 carries and scored four touchdowns.
Last season, Leonard led Duke in rushing with 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.
This story was originally published October 1, 2023 at 5:50 PM.