Who is Duke's backup QB? Blue Devils football's depth chart explored
Duke fans' spirits went down as their junior quarterback Riley Leonard came off the field in the dying embers of the Blue Devils' 21-14 defeat against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. At the time, you couldn't blame them for thinking that their fairytale season was about to come to an abrupt end.
Leonard has proven essential to Durham school's offensive effort, being their lead passer and rusher. The QB has 912 passing yards with three touchdown passes and 326 rushing yards with four touchdowns.
Thankfully, since the game, the outlook for the quarterback's injury has improved with him being diagnosed with a high right ankle sprain, which means he has a realistic chance of returning this season. Per an ESPN report, he will miss several weeks.
The silver lining for the Blue Devils is that Week 6 is their bye week, which means their next game is in Week 7. But, according to the same ESPN report, his return for that game against the NC State is doubtful. If Leonard cannot return, freshman redshirt Henry Belin is expected to replace him.
Belin, a three-star recruit from the Bronx who rejected offers by the Vanderbilt Commodores, UMass, the Buffalo Bulls, and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to play for Duke. He is an inexperienced quarterback at the college level, having only recorded 43 yards in his first year with the Blue Devils. This year, he has 118 yards with a 100% completion percentage.
He has only featured in three games in his college career and would be set to make his first start if Leonard doesn't recover. In high school, he threw for almost 2,600 yards as a senior with four 300-yard passing games in 11 contests. Also ran for 537 yards and 11 touchdowns on more than six yards per carry. Accounted for 29 total touchdowns (18 passing with seven INTs).
Duke's QB depth chart
- Riley Leonard - Jr.
- Henry Belin- Fr. RS
- Grayson Loftis- Fr.
Another option for the Durham school would be Grayson Loftis, a local from South Carolina. He was a three-star recruit of their 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. He turned down offers by the Marshall Thundering Herd, the Kentucky Wildcats, the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Charlotte 49ers, and the Appalachian State Mountaineers to attend Duke.