Duke QB Riley Leonard Aiming To Stay On The Upswing in 2023
Coach Mike Elko came into Duke University pushing what Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard refers to as the "right now" mentality.
That's exactly what quarterback Riley Leonard -- and his team -- bought into. The 9-4 record that made history illustrates that better than anything else.
"I think coach (Mike) Elko came in with a winning mentality and a winning mindset," Leonard said. "He kept saying 'we're winning now. We're going to win now.'"
The change in culture was sudden to some, but something Leonard and his teammates always believed in.
"When a new coach comes in, people always start talking," Leonard said. "They said 'oh, well, when he gets his guys in, in three or four years, they'll start to be good one of these years or they'll start to make their way up next year.' But he wasn't worried about any of that. He believed in us and we turned it into a reality last season."
Leonard says he believes the optimism and pride Elko injected into the team is something that will make not only Duke history, but sports history when we all look back on it later down the line.
It's a statement for a team that finished out the 2021 at 3-9, 2-9 and 5-7 in the three years previous, respectively.
"I think people will talk about the career of coach Elko for a long, long time," Leonard said.
And while Leonard, at just 20 years old, is getting a bit of early Heisman Trophy and early-round draft pick buzz, he gives the props to just about anyone but himself after he ended the 2022 season with a 63.9% completion rate, 2,967 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions on 391 passing attempts.
"I think I get a lot of the credit because I am the quarterback," Leonard said.
In Leonard's eyes, there's a lot to be appreciated about what those on the other side of the ball did to help produce the jump.
"If you look at the numbers, our defense went from one of the worst in the nation to one of the best in the nation," Leonard said. "I know it sounds cliche to say, but defense wins championships -- that and winning the turnover battle.
Bringing back so many players who helped bring Duke to the next level is of equal importance is also important in the team building upon what it was able to do.
"It was an all around effort last year," Leonard said.
"To have 16 returning starters going into next year, you know, I think we'll be set up for success."
Despite Leonard's humbleness, there's no question that he is a huge piece in what Duke brought to the table in the 2022 and what it can be in 2023 as a player who could help revolutionize the recruiting power of the school at the position in the years to come.
"Tangibly, I think that there's not much of my game that is lacking and there's nothing I feel that I can't do as a quarterback," Leonard said. "I think any given week, depending on who we're playing, I can find a way to play well against that defense."
Opponents have taken notice of what Leonard brings to the table as both a passer and a runner -- and he himself has taken notice of what they're seeing across the line.
"Later in the 2022 season, teams started to send out a QB spy on me. So I wasn't able to run the ball as much," Leonard said. "So we were able to get the ball out and went more to one-on-one matchups on the outside."
That alone dispelled one of the doubts some had about Leonard -- mobility and improvisation ability. He ultimately threatened with his legs in a way that gave other teams the blues. The second-year player finished 2022 with 124 carries for 699 yards with 13 touchdowns on the ground.
"Earlier in the season when people didn't think I could run, I was able to use my legs," Leonard said. "They definitely took more note of that later on."
As a prospect who is garnering seemingly more attention by the day, Leonard has been hard at work at developing himself as a player from both a tangibles and an intangibles perspective.
In addition to the normal offseason activities, that includes chatting with some of the greatest to ever play quarterback.
"I've been fortunate enough to hop on some Zoom calls with NFL quarterbacks, one being Eli (Manning), who I was just at the Manning Passing Academy with," Leonard said.
Things like that have helped as Leonard prepares to shoulder more responsibilities at the line of scrimmage -- something that is usual for a quarterback gaining more experience -- in this season and those to come as he continues to play out a football career that has a strong NFL ceiling at this point.
"There are a lot of pre-snap responsibilities the quarterback has in this offense at Duke," Leonard said. "There are a lot of things they're asking me to do with the protections and I know I know some schools don't have the quarterback have a lot to do with those. But we're in complete control of protection, audibles, run game checks, whatever it may be. Coach, put that on my hands. And and I appreciate him for that because that means he trusts me."
As Leonard has continued to make more of a name for himself, one that only looks to get bigger, he says he doesn't necessarily model his game after a specific player, but rather takes a lot of elements from different quarterbacks' games.
"Josh Allen has a mindset of of a runner. I think I run a little bit like him," Leonard said. We're both not very good at sliding, which we should get better at."
Purely as a passer, he looks a lot at Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"I've been really trying to get more of a whippy arm, and I look to Mahomes for that," Leonard said. "And then Tom Brady with his nutrition, how he handles his body, and the winning mindset he always carried with himself."
Speaking on mindset and what goes on mentally with a quarterback, one of the most underrated things is how a player carries some of that aforementioned media hype.
For Leonard, it's something he's learned to control. And he has not forgotten the times he was far lower on the radar than he is now.
"Last year I was dead last in all those quarterback rankings, and I'm on top now. I didn't listen to them," Leonard said.
"If there's one thing I've learned, it's to keep your life as simple as possible, so I'm not going to pay attention to what's going on on the outside," Leonard said. "I have got a great squad around me and try not to buy into the hype. I'm not gonna lie, it's tough when you see your name up there. You want to walk around, you want to think that you're somebody."
Despite the fact he truly has become 'somebody' after turning around a formerly lowly program that has now gotten some national attention because of his efforts under center and in the pocket, there's still plenty of work to be done personally in his eyes.
"At the end of the day, I have done nothing yet," Leonard said. "I haven't won a championship. I haven't even been in the championship. So, you know, these rankings don't mean too much.
"Anything can happen."