Riley Leonard explains 'You Suck' bracelet from his mom

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Riley Leonard has an unusual piece of jewelry he wears around campus and during games. The Blue Devils’ starting quarterback wears a beaded bracelet that reads ‘you suck,’ something his mom gave him not too long ago.

Now, to some individuals, giving your kid a piece of jewelry like that might seem odd. But according to Leonard, there is a reason why she made the bracelet for him, as he recently revealed while present at the ACC Football Kickoff.

“My mom made that in high school,” said Leonard. “And we started that tradition ever since I was in high school, because obviously you’re the star player in high school. Everybody wants to give you all this praise. But I needed somebody to keep me humble sometimes. So my mom raised her hand and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ She’s the sweetest person ever, so she’s not the best at it. But it’s still a tradition that we carry on. After touchdowns or if I see my name on some list that’s ranked me pretty high, I do look down at it, and it reminds me, ‘Don’t look down at that stuff. Stay humble, put your nose down, and just work.’

“She made it Duke blue for me. It’s just a little ‘you suck’ bracelet. I’ve got like 20 of them on my dresser.”

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Leonard’s stellar play from high school picked back up last season after being named Duke’s starting quarterback. Last year, he completed nearly 64 percent of his pass attempts for 2967 yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Putting together the same type of season he did and turning around the fortunes of a program might go to some individual’s heads. But it’s a good thing Leonard has a mother who created an interesting reminder for him to stay humble.

In Duke’s first season with Mike Elko as head coach and Leonard under center, Blue Devils did a complete 180 from the season prior. The previous year in 2021, Duke finished the season 3-9 and failed to register a single win in ACC conference play. Last season, the Blue Devils went 9-4 and 5-3 in the conference including wins over Virginia, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech. In their first bowl game since 2018, Leonard led Duke to a 30-13 victory over the UCF Knights, but most importantly, gave the Blue Devils their best record to finish the season since 2014.