From Cocoa, Florida to Tallahassee, offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV carries with him a mindset built on hard work and giving back, values that continue to define his time at Florida State.
 
In September, Leonard was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, recognizing players that make service and sacrifice a part of their daily life. During Florida State’s bye week last month, Leonard visited the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa to hand out care packages to patients. “It was awesome,” Leonard said of the experience. “To be able to go down there and give back to a place that’s done so much for me and my family, it was a really wonderful experience for me.” 

A part of Leonard’s motivation to serve comes from the strength of his mother, Prishonda. “My mom went through her breast cancer battle in my earlier years of college,” he shared. “I saw how rough that can be on people and I just couldn’t imagine someone having to go through that without a support system.”

 

That sense of gratitude has shaped the way Leonard approaches both football and life. “I think it’s something that was instilled in me from a young age. I come from a long line of people who give back to their community.”

 

In addition to his work at Moffitt, Leonard founded the Richie H. Leonard Football Camp in 2024, which he continues to run free of charge for anyone interested in attending. Sponsors from the event helped Leonard present a $5,000 donation to Cocoa High School’s football program.

 

Service, for Leonard, isn’t a side project but part of who he is. Expanding on how he feels service has been instilled in him, Leonard said, “I think right now football helps me out with that a lot, being able to do certain things like put on a youth football camp.”

 

Leonard’s journey to FSU began in the transfer portal, as he transferred from Florida in 2024 after three seasons. “It was a quick process for me. I entered it kind of late but Florida State reached out pretty quickly after my name was officially in and I think it was the right fit for me and the right fit for them.”

 

He said the culture in Tallahassee immediately stood out. “Just always having a lot of respect for those guys, the way they handled themselves when they played us and the discipline that it seemed like they had as a team was something hard not to notice playing against them,” he explained.

 

Transitioning into the program was smooth. In 2024, Leonard played in four games for the Seminoles before a season-ending injury but has come back even stronger. He is currently one of five players on Florida State’s offense to start every game so far in the 2025 season.

 

His mindset is rooted in perspective. “I think no matter what situation you’re in, whether you’re undefeated or completely defeated, I think taking it one day at a time is a challenge every team deals with,” he said. “Whether you’re on one side of trying not to look too far ahead for what might come or on the other side of it, just taking it one day at a time to keep getting better every day.”

 

Looking forward, the future will continue to center around giving back for Leonard. Whether that’s through football or something beyond the game, he says “whatever my next calling is in life, service will still be a part of that regardless of what my day-to-day activity is.”