By Bob Redman
He silently made the case for more playing time with his play in the spring. Sophomore interior offensive lineman Richie Leonard showed that he can play football at this level during head coach Billy Napier’s first spring with the Florida Gators. Leonard adds some versatility to the group with his ability to play both guard positions and center. He believes the Gators are going to be a lot better up front this season.
Leonard isn’t your prototypical lineman for the SEC standing 6–foot-2, but does weigh in at a solid 318 pounds. He’s played in just eight games so far for Florida, all last season, but did manage one start as well.
What he has done is show the ability to play tough in the trenches and smart. As the Gators approach the 2022 season it has made him into a valuable part of the offensive line whether he’s a starter or not.
Behind the scenes Leonard had a very productive spring and had several days where he was one of the main standouts along the line.
“I think it went pretty well,” Leonard said about the spring while attending a function with the Gator Collective back in April. “It was good to get in and learn the new playbook and see how our new coaches coach us and it went smooth.”
A modest young man, he understands where he is at in terms of getting on the field, knows his value to the squad, and just wants to be continuously productive.
“Just to be better than I was last year, try to get better every single day and every single game,” he said about his goals. “Be the best version of myself and help this team in every way I can help.”
While not a part of the starting offensive line at the moment, Leonard says that the experience along the line should be a huge strength in 2022. Florida returns three regular starters from a year ago, a transfer in O’Cyrus Torrence that started in the system at Louisiana for three years and a couple of others with a handful of starts each under their belts.
“I think we’ll be better because we’re all older now,” Richie said. “Last year we had a lot of young guys that had to play and I think going through that made us all grow together. We got a couple of great additions in Cyrus and big Kamryn Waites, so I think we’re going to gel together really well.”
There is something to be said about a group in the trenches with maturity. There are several considerations that include older guys being bigger and stronger than when they show up out of high school. But more so it’s about working as one unit and the familiarity that comes with playing together.
“It’s huge, especially as an offensive line,” Leonard said about having a group of veterans. “We’re a unit that has to be cohesive, we all have to be on the same page. We gotta play as one. Our biggest saying that our coaches teach us is that five equals one.”
Napier has made it a point to make sure that every player has the best chance to succeed. There are multiple coaches for each position group. The offensive line actually has five coaches that are helping these young men try to be their best. Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton are the two that can help them on the field. That’s double what most programs have.
“It’s something I’ve never been through before,” Leonard said about thaving two main offensive line coaches. “I think it really helps to sometimes have split meetings to be able to watch every single film clip of practice.”
Florida is expected to have an improved offensive line in 2022. Richie Leonard will be a big part of the growth the group has. He will also have help along the way to make it better.