Duke football names Riley Leonard as Blue Devils' starting quarterback
Duke has their starting quarterback for 2022, as the Blue Devils revealed on Sunday that Riley Leonard will be their signal caller to begin the season.
On Twitter, Duke Football made the announcement, paired with a sweet graphic to get their fans pumped for the season.
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Moreover, Leonard was a three-star recruit as part of the Class of 2021, according to the On3 Consensus. A native of Fairhope, Alabama, Leonard was the No. 22 recruit in his class out of his home state, along with being the No. 41 ranked quarterback recruit and No. 550 overall recruit in the nation.
Last season, Leonard saw action sparingly for Duke, amassing 381 passing yards and one touchdown during his time on the field. Additionally, he can do damage in the running game, adding 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 47 rushing attempts.
While last season was a rough one for Duke — the Blue Devils went 3-8, including not winning an ACC conference game — wholesale changes were made. Longtime coach David Cutcliffe left his post, replaced with former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko. The hire was lauded, and the Blue Devils could turn things around in 2022.
Nevertheless, Riley Leonard will be as important to Duke as any player this upcoming season. His first chance as the unquestioned starter of the Blue Devils will come next week against Temple.
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Moreover, Riley Leonard and Mike Elko will be leading Duke into their new era, replacing David Cutcliffe, who had been with the Duke Blue Devils since the 2008 season. He and the Blue Devils agreed to mutually move on after the regular-season finale against the Miami Hurricanes.
Last season was the third straight with a losing record, going 3-9 overall and 0-8 within the ACC. Cutcliffe’s peak while with Duke came during the 2013 season, reaching a conference championship game and winning 10 regular-season games.
Cutcliffe was named the ACC Coach of the Year twice (2012, 2013) while in Durham. Of the program’s six career bowl wins, three have come under the now-former head coach.
Duke was on a 19-year streak of not appearing in the AP poll before the 2013 season. Finishing the season in the poll that same year, Cutcliffe broke a 53-year streak of not appearing in the final edition.