Riley Leonard reveals why Mike Elko is the perfect fit at Duke
Quarterback Riley Leonard and head coach Mike Elko are banding together to make people notice Duke football.
Ahead of their matchup with Notre Dame on Saturday, ESPN’s College GameDay and The Pat McAfee Show is in Durham, North Carolina. Leonard joined the latter on Friday, where he explained what made him and Elko such a tremendous fit for each other.
“Absolutely,” Leonard responded, as McAfee said Elko is the perfect fit for Duke. “… We’re both super competitive. I think that’s what kind of brings us together. From the very first meeting, he was going to roll with the guys we had on this Duke team. We went 3-9. He comes in, you know you guys have all seen the clip, he said we’re going to win now. We believed it.
“He said that every single meeting, for a whole summer. We came out here and did it last year, and we’re doing it now.”
Elko and Leonard’s first season together in 2022 truly planted the seeds, but their victory against Clemson earlier this season let the world know the Blue Devils are a force to be reckoned with. If they can defeat the Fighting Irish on Saturday, there’ll be no more excuses for the doubters.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Riley Leonard and Mike Elko are doing something special at Duke, and deserve every bit of attention they’re getting at the moment.
Marcus Freeman believes Riley Leonard will be Notre Dame’s biggest challenge yet
Moreover, one person not taking Riley Leonard lightly is Notre Dame leader Marcus Freeman, as the Duke quarterback has his full attention.
The No. 11 Fighting Irish hit the road to play No. 17 Duke and Leonard, who have really impressed the nation so far this season. Leonard is accurately throwing the football and has yet to turn it over this season, and Freeman called it Notre Dame’s biggest challenge yet.
“He is a talented individual,” Freeman said. “Obviously all offenses go through the quarterback but the things he presents in the run game, the challenges he’s going to present, he’s a big physical tough runner. He’s accurate in the pass game from what they need him to do, you know, and so it’s a huge challenge for our team. Biggest one yet.”
While Notre Dame is trying to keep it from being Riley Leonard’s coming-out-party to the rest of the college football world, they recognize the Duke quarterback is a star in the making.
Alas, Riley Leonard was a member of the Class of 2021, Leonard was a three-star recruit out of Fairhope (Ala.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 21 overall prospect in the state, the No. 41 quarterback in the class and the No. 554 overall prospect in the class.
On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.