Expectations are high for the Duke Blue Devils and promising quarterback Riley Leonard, but the ACC junior is trying his best to stay grounded with the help of his mom.
During the ESPN broadcast on Monday, September 4 between Duke and Clemson, Leonard's wristband became a point of discussion. As you can see in the photo below, the bracelet simply reads, "you suck," but there's so much more to the story than just that.
Wow I had no idea Riley Leonard's mom had so many burner accounts in my mentions all weekend pic.twitter.com/Z5X1YrVCJb
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) September 5, 2023
According to the broadcast, the bracelet is a message from Leonard's mother, who sends him a text saying the same thing before every game. As only a 3-star recruit coming out of high school in Alabama, Leonard wasn't the hottest commodity for schools interested in recruiting quarterbacks, but still felt that he was receiving too much praise from those around him.
As motivation to keep him grounded, Leonard says that he asked his mom to start texting him saying that he sucked in order to motivate him. His mom had no issue doing so, and the two have continued to stick with the tradition ever since.
The tradition seems to be working for Leonard, who impressed as a full-time starter in 2022. The Duke quarterback completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while rushing for another 699 yards and 13 scores. The Blue Devils went 9-4 this past season, and Leonard is hoping that he can help them take an even bigger step forward in 2023.
Duke fans are hoping that Leonard's mom can continue to keep him grounded by sending him these texts so that he can continue to ball out and lead the Blue Devils to a potential ACC championship title this season.
