After a whirlwind and sometimes frustrating 2016, Rick Leonard has found comfort again on the football field.
It was around this time last year that Leonard made the switch from defensive end -- a position he had starred at in high school and played for his first two years at Florida State -- to offensive tackle.
FSU’s coaches were excited about the move. They looked at the 6-foot-7 Leonard’s frame and athletic ability and pictured him as the solution to their needs at right tackle.
Leonard was optimistic, too. But looking back one year later, he can hardly believe how far he has come.
“Everything’s a lot more slowed down,” Leonard said after taking extra reps with fellow lineman Brock Ruble following Thursday’s practice. “Last year, I didn’t know what I was doing really until the end of spring. It was something new every single day. But I made sure this offseason that I got in the books, got in the playbook, got in the weight room, so I know what I’m doing a lot more.”
Despite the challenging transition last spring, Leonard ended up winning the starting right tackle position in preseason camp.
That lasted all of three games.
After Florida State gave up five sacks in a blowout loss at Louisville in the third week, the Seminoles’ coaches decided to shake things up. To the bench went Leonard, and Ruble would move into the starting lineup.
What certainly was a low point at the time ended up being a blessing -- for Leonard and the entire offensive line. While sitting behind Ruble for the next seven games, Leonard was able to sit back and finally gain a clearer understanding of the position.
Not just the assignments, but how to apply his techniques.
“When I was sitting behind Brock, I got to learn what he did, and that helped me out a lot,” Leonard said. “Just stepping back and really watching helped me out a lot. So when I came back in, I thought I played a lot better than I did the first half [of the season].”
