Report: Riley Leonard to miss 'extended period of time' with toe injury

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will reportedly miss significant time due to an injury he sustained against Louisville. On Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided additional details.

“Riley Leonard will miss an ‘extended period of time’ with a left toe injury suffered late in the game against Louisville,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “Freshman Grayson Loftis will get his first career start tonight against Wake Forest.

“A definitive timetable on Leonard’s potential return from this injury has yet to be determined, per sources. It’s a *different* injury than the right ankle injury he suffered against Notre Dame that kept him out of the NC State game.”

Leonard struggled in Duke’s 23-0 loss to Louisville this past weekend. In the defeat, Leonard only completed 9-of-his-23 pass attempts for 121 yards while throwing an interception. He also recorded 10 carries for a mere 13 yards, averaging 1.3 yards per rush.

Leonard missed time earlier this season after sustaining an ankle injury in the closing moments of Duke’s Week 6 loss to Notre Dame. He seemingly reaggravated this injury in the second half of Duke’s 38-20 loss to Florida State in Week 8.

Now, Leonard will be sidelined again due to his health. While Duke will be without its QB1, the show must go on. On Thursday, the Blue Devils will face off against Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. ET. As Thamel mentioned, Loftis will start behind center for Duke.

Duke needs Grayson Loftis

Loftis was a three-star recruit in high school, according to On3’s Industry Ratings. Further, he was the No. 49 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle and the No. 11 prospect from South Carolina.

Loftis’ only collegiate appearance was last game when he completed 3-of-his-5 pass attempts for 30 yards against Louisville. The Blue Devils will need Loftis’ steady hand again on Thursday. Duke head coach Mike Elko was not satisfied with the Blue Devils’ passing performance against Louisville.

“For us to be successful, we need to throw and catch the football,” Elko said. “We also have to be able to make our reads and progressions and we weren’t able to do that at times. I think that there were some that we missed because we didn’t have our eyes in the right spots.

“When we make throws, we have to be able to catch them. It was an inefficient performance at every level tonight. The response now is that you come together, you evaluate where you are, what you’re doing, and put a really good plan together. You give the kids the opportunity to do things that they’re comfortable and confident doing and try to go out and execute at a higher level and I believe we will respond.”