Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard Has 2nd Surgery on Ankle Injury; No Timetable for Return

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard underwent a second surgery for an ankle injury, per On3 Sports' Tyler Horka.

Leonard, who transferred to Notre Dame after three seasons at Duke, originally suffered the injury last September while playing for the Blue Devils. He aggravated the injury again a few weeks later.

There's no timetable for his return for now, but Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said the surgery went "extremely well."

"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. 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."

After joining Notre Dame in January, Leonard underwent tightrope ankle surgery to try to correct the injury from the fall. He managed to get back on the field by the start of spring practice on March 7, but now will have to miss some time as he recovers.

In seven games last year, Leonard notched 1,102 passing yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He showed promise in 2022 during his sophomore season with the Blue Devils, throwing for 2,967 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games.

Now with the Fighting Irish, Leonard is looking to get back on the field quickly to prepare for what he hopes will be a big year.

According to Horka, junior Steve Angeli will be Notre Dame's QB1 in spring practice until Leonard is back on the field. Angeli saw limited action in 2023, but started for the Irish in the Sun Bowl, throwing for 232 passing yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-19 in the 40-8 win.

Notre Dame is coming off a 10-3 season in the second year of the Freeman tenure. The Fighting Irish will have a new quarterback under center in Leonard after Sam Hartman's time came to an end, and Leonard is trying to match Hartman's success from last year.