Is Riley Leonard playing today vs Purdue? Closer look at Notre Dame QB's availability for Week 3 game

Riley Leonard began his collegiate career with the Duke Blue Devils back in 2021. After three seasons with the program, he transferred to Notre Dame ahead of the 2024 season.

Leonard has since been named the Fighting Irish's starting quarterback for their 2024 campaign. He has played in two games so far and has led the program to a 1-1 record. Will Leonard make an appearance in Week 3 against Purdue?

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Is Riley Leonard playing today vs Purdue?

Despite suffering an injury on his non-throwing shoulder against Northern Illinois, Riley Leonard is expected to suit up for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's Week 3 showdown against the Purdue Boilermakers.

The QB underwent an MRI on his left shoulder, and it was determined that his injury was not serious and he should be available to play in Week 3. Last season, he suffered an ankle injury and missed five games.

When Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was asked about replacing Leonard with backup Steve Angeli, he said that was not considered and he talked about how much faith he has in his QB1.

"There was no consideration of that," Freeman said to the media after Duke's loss to Northern Illinois. "We have a lot of belief in Riley and him running out offense. That's not a shot at Steve. We have a lot of faith in Steve too, but there was no consideration of that."

In two games, Riley Leonard has recorded 321 passing yards and two interceptions. He also has 79 rushing yards and one rushing TD. He has not had a passing TD for Notre Dame so far this season.

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What happened to Riley Leonard?

During Notre Dame's Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois, Leonard took a serious hit which led to him injuring the posterior labrum of his non-throwing shoulder. He was attended to by the medical team on the field as he was in visible pain following the hit.

That said, Leonard decided to stay on for the rest of the game. He managed to put up 163 passing yards along with 16 rushing yards and a rushing TD. But in the fourth quarter, Kanon Woodill scored a 35-yard field goal to give the Huskies a two-point victory.

As Riley Leonard gears up for the Week 3 game against Purdue, it will be interesting to see if his injury will affect his performance on the field. The game is scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.