"I feel great, I'm bouncing around": Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard gives update on his injury ahead of the spring game

Notre Dame brought in Riley Leonard from Duke following the conclusion of the 2023 college football regular season. The quarterback will be replacing the departed Sam Hartmann, who helped relaunch Notre Dame’s offense last year, in the upcoming season.

Riley Leonard notably suffered an ankle injury in the second half of 2023 while playing for the Blue Devils, which ruled him out of the season. In his first media appearance in South Bend, he disclosed that he is feeling better following tightrope surgery on the ankle.

"I feel great, I'm bouncing around," Leonard said. Obviously, no boot, nothing. You probably wouldn't even realize I got surgery. That story broke a couple of days ago. It wasn't really a secret. I tell people all the time, I was riding around campus in my electric wheelchair thing.”

Riley Leonard getting closer to a return

While Riley Leonard has been out of action for more than three months, he could be back playing in a couple of weeks. The quarterback is getting along with the Fighting Irish athletic trainers led by Rob Hunt and has disclosed he's encountering no problem in South Bend.

“Rob Hunt and the whole athletic training staff have been great with me. I should be back in a couple of weeks. I'm two weeks in right now and feeling great already, so no problem at all.”

It's worth noting that Riley Leonard sustained the injury while playing for Duke against Notre Dame last season. He was notably tackled by nose guard Howard Cross in the final play of the game.

"(Howard Cross) still owes me dinner,” Leonard said with a laugh. "I told him there's a Ruth's Chris, like right down the road. That was a lot of weight on my ankle."

A possibility for the Notre Dame spring game

Without a doubt, Notre Dame fans are eager to see Riley Leonard in action in a bid to determine how much he can fit in to replace the beloved Hartmann. There's a chance he will participate in the upcoming spring game.

“We could risk it and play in spring and maybe in the fall and have no problems,” Leonard said. But there was a risk of re-injuring it because it was a little loose. That's what they said.”

Leonard's dual-threat ability is expected to turn out to be crucial for the Fighting Irish in 2024. He threw for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns in his three-season tenure at Duke. He also rushed for 1,224 yards and 19 touchdowns in 229 carries.