Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 9 UNDER THE DOME Two Football Players Step Away From Notre Dame, One Permanently And One Temporarily Graduate student offensive guard Andrew Kristofic and senior defensive tackle Gabriel Ru- bio did not begin the spring semester with Notre Dame. The former is stepping away from the Fighting Irish permanently. The latter is taking a short sabbatical for personal reasons and could return by the start of spring practices, per Blue & Gold Illustrated sources. Kristofic had one season of eligibility remain- ing, the proverbial "COVID year," and did not make an official announcement about his future. A Notre Dame spokesperson confirmed his per- manent departure when he was not listed on the Irish's spring roster. He ends his Irish career with 47 games played, eight starts and two degrees: a bachelor's in marketing and a master's in busi- ness analytics. Per Kristofic's LinkedIn account, he will try to start a career in the financial plan- ning services industry early this year. Rubio, meanwhile, appeared in nine games in a reserve role in 2023. He recorded 11 tackles and 5 quarterback hurries. He missed games against Tennessee State, North Carolina State and Central Michigan due to a knee injury suf- fered in Notre Dame's season opener against Navy in Ireland. He also missed the Louisville game later on in the year. Rubio is a key depth piece behind Notre Dame's nose tackle starter, graduate student Howard Cross III. Rising junior Donovan Hinish gained great experience with increased reps while Rubio was out, but the Irish are better up the middle on defense when Rubio is available to back up Cross. All eyes are fixated on his poten- tial return to the team. — Tyler Horka Quarterback Riley Leonard Undergoes Ankle Surgery New Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard's one year in South Bend is off to a shaky start. The former Duke signal-caller had ankle surgery in mid-January. Leonard had the operation on the same ankle he injured in the final minute of a 21-14 loss for his Blue Devils against Notre Dame last fall. He underwent the successful procedure in January after team trainers and doctors determined his ankle needed to be restored from prior affliction. Per a Notre Dame spokesperson, Leonard is expected to be back for the beginning of spring practices in March. The university had not yet released an official start date for those sessions as of late January. It's believed to have been a similar surgery — tightrope fixation — to the one performed on former Alabama quarterback and current Miami Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa in 2018. Tagovailoa played for the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff four weeks later. Following that timeline, the best-case scenario for Leonard is a return to football activities sometime in February. There is not a national championship in Notre Dame's immediate future like there was for Tagovailoa and Alabama, though. A more realistic return to full activity for Leonard is the start of spring practices in mid to late March. If there was ever a time for Notre Dame's prized transfer portal addition to suffer such an injury, it'd be now — especially if he does heal in time for actual practices. But even if he doesn't, the silver lin- ing for Notre Dame is a funneling of No. 1 reps to junior Steve Angeli and more action for sophomore Kenny Minchey and freshman CJ Carr. Leonard has the experience and upside to edge Angeli in a quarterback competition, but the latter could make things interesting with more opportunities to prove himself. He's coming off a strong outing in his first career start in the Sun Bowl, a 40-8 victory for Notre Dame. Angeli completed 15 of 19 throws for 232 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in the win against Oregon State. Leonard posted a record of 13-8 as a starter at Duke. His best year was 2022, when he threw for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdowns and 6 interceptions plus ran for 699 yards and 13 scores. Then the injury bug hit. The high ankle sprain Leonard endured against Notre Dame in Week 5 last year affected the rest of his season. He only started two more games thereafter and was re-injured against Florida State, which was his first start back exactly three weeks after the initial injury against the Irish. He officially shut down his season after a turf toe ailment suffered against Louisville Oct. 28 called for surgery. Leonard threw for 1,102 yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and he also ran for 352 yards and 4 scores in seven injury-riddled starts in 2023. He has a big frame at 6-4, 213 pounds but puts himself in harm's way more often than the average passer because of his running ability. With athletic upside comes risk. If Leonard beats out Angeli and wins Notre Dame's starting job, as expected, his health is paramount to individual and team success in 2024. — Tyler Horka Senior defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio has temporarily stepped away from the team for personal reasons but could be back by the start of spring practices. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Leonard, who has one year of eligibility after transferring from Duke, underwent ankle surgery in mid-January but should be cleared to return to action by the start of spring practices. PHOTO COURTESY DUKE ATHLETICS