Duke QB Riley Leonard suffered an ankle injury in the final moments of his team’s Week 5 loss against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He missed Duke’s Week 7 showdown against NC State after a Week 6 bye.
With Florida State looming as the team’s next challenge, Leonard’s injury has come into focus. What’s the latest on his status, and is he on track to return to the field soon?
Will Riley Leonard Play This Week?
Update as of Saturday, Oct. 21 at 12:00 PM EST: Riley will warm up but is unlikely to start, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Leonard could return for Week 8’s road trip to No. 4 Florida State. Mike Elko, coach of the No. 16 Blue Devils, said this week that Leonard is “day-to-day” as he recovers from a high ankle sprain. Although Leonard seems to be progressing, a final decision won’t be made until Saturday morning before kickoff.
“I’ve said this to everybody — we will not put him in position to put that ankle at risk,” Elko said. “But I do think there is a chance we’re able to get him back healthy on Saturday and able to be playing at the level he’s capable of playing.”
The Seminoles, favored by 14 points at DraftKings, will have more to be worried about with Leonard in the lineup. His backup, freshman Henry Belin IV, struggled mightily as a passer against NC State, completing only 4 of 12 attempts for 107 yards. It was still enough to win, though.
Leonard injured his ankle late in the game against Notre Dame in September and was later seen on crutches. The image of Leonard on crutches stoked fear that his injury might be long-term, but it was revealed to be a sprain.
The junior passer has completed 62.7% of his attempts for 912 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He’s added 326 yards and four scores on the ground.
The dual-threat completed only 44.4% of his passes against Notre Dame but did lead the Blue Devils into position to kick a go-ahead field goal that was missed.
Leonard’s Quick Recovery Helps His 2024 NFL Draft Stock
Some saw Leonard, a true junior, as a potential early-round challenger in the 2024 NFL Draft ahead of the season. In 2022, Leonard completed 250 of 392 passes (63.8%) for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also ran for 699 yards and 13 scores.
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So far in 2023, Leonard has had his flashes — the highlight was his upset win over Clemson in Week 1. His competitive toughness and natural running ability stand out.
However, while Leonard has awed with his athleticism, his growth as a passer has stagnated somewhat. Overarching consistency with accuracy is still a concern, and while his receivers share the blame, the passing game hasn’t taken off like many hoped it would.
The initial reaction to Leonard’s injury was that he might not get a chance to showcase growth over the second half of the 2023 season. Now, however, it appears as though he’s poised to return to the field this week.
If the season were to end today, Leonard would likely be a mid-round prospect at best. But if he can tidy up his mechanics and accuracy while building on the glimpses of elite situational precision, he can move up the board.