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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred from Duke in December and is projected to start for the Irish this season, will miss some winter workouts following ankle surgery for an injury he suffered in the fall, a source told ESPN.
Leonard is expected to be cleared to fully participate before spring practice begins in March and could join the team for some of the winter workouts, the source said.
Leonard, who has one year of eligibility remaining, suffered a gruesome ankle injury Sept. 30 in Duke’s loss to Notre Dame. He missed the following week’s game against NC State and then aggravated the injury in a loss to Florida State.
According to a source, Leonard’s physical at Notre Dame revealed his ankle had not been fully restored, so he had surgery to fix it. The rehabilitation timetable is four to six weeks, and Leonard is currently two weeks into it.
Leonard was one of the top players in the transfer portal, as he helped orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in college football. In 2022, Leonard accounted for 33 touchdowns (20 passing, 13 rushing) while leading the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record, a six-win improvement over 2021. Last year, he led Duke to a season-opening win against Clemson and the school’s highest national ranking since 1994.
He suffered a season-ending toe injury against Louisville and finished with 1,102 passing yards, 352 rushing yards and 7 total touchdowns in seven games.
Notre Dame’s spring game is April 20.