Riley Leonard

Riley Leonard was one of the best surprises of the 2022 season, seemingly coming from nowhere to throw for 2,967 yards, a sterling 20:6 TD:INT ratio, while also gashing defenses for 699 yards and 13 scores with his legs. Can he provide an encore? Leonard’s legs should keep him from bottoming out, but the passing success was sporadic throughout his breakout, four times going for 290 yards or better but six times being limited to 173 yards or fewer. That may make him better suited as a matchup play than a top option to anchor squads nationally. And it’s not a knock on Leonard, but much of his success is scheme based by head coach Mike Elko and offensive coordinator Kevin Johns. That’s not going to change in 2023, but Duke still has a lack of overall dynamic weapons around Leonard. In no way are we expecting Leonard to bust in 2023, but asking for a repeat of last season may be the best case scenario, while growing statistically a long shot.