Report: Duke QB Riley Leonard doubtful for matchup with NC State

Duke star quarterback Riley Leonard is unlikely to play against NC State on Saturday, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel.

Leonard is continuing to recover from an ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame on Sept. 30. He is making progress but appears not quite ready to suit up.

According to Thamel, Leonard is not wearing a boot or using crutches and is improving. However, he is doubtful for Saturday night’s game against the Wolfpack.

While Riley Leonard is not expected to play against NC State, it sounds as if he could be available soon.

Duke plays at Florida State and at Louisville the following two weeks. Here is what Thamel said about Leonard’s availability for those two games:

“There’s no clear timetable on his return, but he should be available in the upcoming weeks,” Thamel posted on Twitter. “Duke faces key games at Florida State and at Louisville in the next two weeks.”

Riley Leonard has played a huge role in Duke getting off to one of the most surprising starts to the college football season.

The junior led Duke to an upset win over Clemson in Week 1 and had the Blue Devils undefeated heading into a huge matchup against Notre Dame with College GameDay in town on Sept. 30. Duke was leading in that game until the final seconds when Irish running back Audric Estime scored on a 30-yard touchdown run to give the Irish the lead with 31 seconds remaining.

Leonard tried to orchestrate one final drive to keep Duke alive, but instead he suffered a high ankle sprain, which will keep him out for Saturday’s game against NC State.

Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko provided an update on Riley Leonard earlier this week.

“An injury update, just to stop you guys from asking, Riley’s dealing with an ankle. He’s day-to-day. He’s recovering. He’s making really, really strong progress,” Elko told the media. “He was out, moving around, throwing the ball this morning. We’ll see what happens this weekend, but I do think the outlook for him is really positive for the rest of the season.

“So we’ll see when we can get him back. We’ll just list him as day-to-day for now.”

With Leonard out, Henry Belin is expected to start at quarterback for Duke against NC State. Belin has appeared in two games so far this season. He is 8-for-8 passing for 118 yards and one touchdown so far this year.