Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters on Saturday that quarterback Riley Leonard underwent a second surgery on his injured ankle. Leonard is a recent transfer to Notre Dame following three seasons at Duke. Leonard is expected to be out for a few weeks.
“Riley Leonard will be out a few weeks due to an additional surgery he had on his ankle on Friday to address a stress fracture that was beginning to develop,” Freeman said. “Basically, the surgery was to exchange the current plate he had in his ankle with a new one.
“The doctors thought it went extremely well,” Freeman continued. “The overall prognosis and health of his ankle is excellent. So, we’ll see when he can get back. We’re not putting a timetable. We know it’s going to be a few weeks. We’re not saying he’s out for the spring. There could be a chance he comes back and participates in some capacity during spring ball.”
Leonard Sidelined Again; Angeli to Step In
Leonard sat out two games in October after Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III injured his ankle in the waning minutes of the Irish’s 21-14 win over Duke on Sept. 30. Leonard underwent tightrope ankle surgery in January. He recovered in time for the start of spring practice on March 7, but is sidelined again. Leonard threw for 1,102 yards during the 2023 season for the Blue Devils. He completed 95 of 165 pass attempts (6.7 average). He threw three touchdowns and had three interceptions.
Junior Steve Angeli will serve as Notre Dame’s No. 1 quarterback for the remainder of spring practices, which run through the annual Blue-Gold Game on April 20. Angeli started in the Sun Bowl in December in place of Sam Hartman, who bypassed the game. Angeli completed 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards with three touchdowns in the 40-8 victory over Oregon State. Notre Dame will want to get Leonard back in the mix as soon as possible. The transfer signal-caller is the most experienced quarterback on the Irish’s roster, having started 21 games in his collegiate career.
