Duke Football: Latest Update on Riley Leonard's Status

Duke football gem Riley Leonard may be out of commission for several games.

Adding to the pain of Duke football's 21-14 home loss to now-No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday night, star junior quarterback Riley Leonard went down with a scary-looking leg injury on the decisive play, a Fighting Irish fumble recovery, with only 18 seconds remaining on the clock.

On Sunday, as the Blue Devils fell only two spots to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Poll, the public outlook on Leonard's injury slightly improved.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the second-year starter, whose name appears in the first few rounds of some 2024 mock drafts, "has a high right ankle sprain and has a realistic chance of returning later this month for the Blue Devils." Thamel also noted that, according to his sources, "his return vs. NC State [on Oct. 21] is uncertain."

Judging by the replay of Leonard's injury, his leaving the field on crutches, and the typical timeline for such a sprain, it seems somewhat optimistic to think his return could come any sooner than the road game at Louisville on Oct. 28, much less Duke's home bout against the Wolfpack following the Blue Devils' ideally timed bye week.

In the meantime, the presumed fill-in starter at quarterback for reigning ACC Coach of the Year Mike Elko's second Duke football squad is redshirt freshman Henry Belin IV, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound former three-star prep from New York who has thrown zero incompletions this year and only one in his college career.

Granted, Belin boasts only an 8-for-8 mark and 118 yards through the air with one touchdown across his two mop-up outings for the 2023 Blue Devils. And in his one appearance last year, he completed five of his six attempts for 43 yards.

The beloved Riley Leonard has been the only starting quarterback in Duke football's Mike Elko era (13-5 overall).

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke football news.