Riley Leonard Ankle Injury Could Be A Blessing In Disguise

The decision by former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard to come to Notre Dame is full of irony, but there should be no debating that the move has a chance to work out extremely well for both sides. 

Leonard was off to a great start in 2023, leading Duke to a 4-0 start to the season that included a 28-7 win over Clemson. Leonard and the Blue Devils came within a miraculous 17-yard run from Irish quarterback Sam Hartman on 4th-and-16 late in the game from upsetting the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish. Leonard had given Duke a fourth quarter lead thanks to his ability to make plays with his arm and legs.

The game ended terribly for Duke, who not only lost the game, but Leonard suffered a gruesome ankle injury with just seconds left in the game. 

Leonard missed Duke's next game, and he was a shell of himself against Florida State and Louisville. Duke had no choice but to shut him down for the remainder of the season, ending any chance of Leonard repeating his brilliant 2022 season. Based on early season vibes, Leonard had a chance to work himself into the NFL Draft, but that possibility died when his ankle was injured against Notre Dame.

That injury ultimately ruined his 2023 season and sank Duke's season. The Blue Devils went just 4-4 after Leonard suffered that ankle injury against the Irish.

Fast forward to December and Leonard had made the decision to transfer to Notre Dame for his senior season. He's now enrolled at Notre Dame, but he's still working his way back from the aforementioned ankle injury. That injury, and the process of getting back on the field at full strength, could very much be a blessing for Riley Leonard, which would in turn be a blessing for Notre Dame.

Leonard is a dynamic playmaker, showing the ability to make plays with his arm and legs. As a true sophomore in 2022, the first-year starter passed for 2,967 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, and rushed for 699 yards and 13 more touchdowns. Duke had gone just 10-25 in the three seasons prior to Leonard taking over as the starter, but he lead the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record, and those four losses were by a combined 16 points.

For Notre Dame, that dual threat ability is a big reason why Leonard was their easy top choice when the staff went to the portal. Notre Dame wants - and needs - a more dynamic playmaker at quarterback. Leonard is that kind of player. But he's more of a gamer than he is a seasoned passer.

There is plenty of criticism of Leonard's ability as a passer, and much of it seems to be overly focused on statistics without enough focus on the film. Break down Leonard's game and you'll see why the Irish staff coveted him in the portal, and why NFL scouts are also high on his game. He can beat you with his arm, there's no doubt about that, but that doesn't mean his game as a passer doesn't need more work.

With Leonard battling back from an ankle injury, Mike Denbrock and the Irish offensive staff would be wise to use this as an opportunity. 

Anyone with a brain knows that Leonard is an impact runner, and that is an important part of his game, why the Notre Dame staff wanted him, and it fits Denbrock's offense quite nicely. But Notre Dame doesn't need Leonard to show that during the spring. There's hours and hours of game film that already proves that he is a dangerous runner on designed run calls and as a scrambler. The summer and fall camp will give the staff plenty of time to incorporate his running ability into the run game.

This spring needs to be all about the pass game, and that is where the injury to Leonard is a blessing. A player of his caliber, and ability, is naturally going to use his legs as soon as the pads go on. That's who he is. For the coaches, a healthy Leonard with no 2023 ankle injury or offseason surgery is going to immediately get work in the run game in March and April. Now, however, the plan should be altered, and the focus should be predominantly on building up his overall technical and mental skill in the pass game.

Leonard needs to continue improving his footwork in the pocket, as inconsistent footwork is often the culprit for his off target throws. Leonard needs to be willing and able to run around and beat teams as a scrambler, but getting more and more confident - and willing - to sit in the pocket and make downfield throws, or to get the ball to the backs, or to find receivers coming open late, is certainly an area where Leonard's game could use more work.

Then there is the need to use as many reps as possible to get on the same page with his new group of pass catchers. Leonard improving these areas would certainly make him one of the best quarterbacks in the country in 2024, and would make the Irish offense quite dangerous.

If Leonard hadn't dealt with the ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame, a spring game plan of focusing primarily - if not exclusively - on pass game development might have been harder to swallow, and harder to adjust to. You don't want to take the run game away from Leonard, and you don't want him becoming shy about running. 

If healthy, a heavy focus on staying in the pocket and avoiding the QB run game could have a negative side effective. In the past we've seen dual-threat quarterbacks overly focus on the pass game, and by the fall their ability to impact the run game took a hit and they weren't as dangerous.

With Leonard conscious of the ankle injury he suffered, his head will be in a better space to shift his spring focus more on developing the pass game. It will make it easier for him to ramp up the running part of his game once they get to fall camp. By that point the hope is that Leonard's pass game work will result in him becoming an even more dangerous player. The nature of his injury is also unlikely to make him leery of running once he's fully healthy.

It might seem strange that focusing on the pass game due to injury is different than simply focusing on it more in order to improve one's game, but that's what makes the mental part of the game so challenging. For Notre Dame, the injury for Leonard makes it much, much easier to avoid this potential pitfall, which increases the odds that Leonard develops his passing impact while maintaining his dynamic run game skill.

It's projection at this point, but if this is in fact what happens the Irish will put one of the nation's best quarterbacks on the field in 2024.