Georgia Tech tight end Dylan Leonard packed on the pounds as a freshman in an attempt to handle the rigors of college football. Weighing about 210 pounds upon his arrival in 2019, he expanded by about 35 pounds in less than a year, a commitment that helped him earn a scholarship from coach Geoff Collins.
He spent the offseason making those 245 pounds work better for him.
“Last year, I kind of felt a little awkward sometimes with my body just because I wasn’t used to carrying 245,” he said Thursday. “But now I’ve gotten a lot stronger, and I’ve kind of redistributed that weight to more muscle, so I feel a lot more powerful, a lot faster in my body now.”
Now in his third season, Leonard is competing with classmate Dylan Deveney for the starting job. Last year, Leonard played in seven games and started two as he split time with Deveney. Just as Leonard’s increased strength has served him thus far in the preseason, so has his experience.
“Just as we get older, the way I approach the game has really changed,” he said. “It’s kind of come from, ‘How can I not mess up this play?’ to ‘How can I maximize this play?’ And I feel like that mindset, especially in blocking, has helped me be more confident, more comfortable.”
