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Healthy Again, Wright Prepares For Final Season
DURHAM, N.C. -- If you spent any time around Leon Wright during the second half of the 2008 football season, one would immediately sense the disappointment in his voice as he spent Saturday afternoons on the sideline cheering on his teammates rather than playing alongside them. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the veteran cornerback saw his junior campaign cut short due to a hamstring injury.
"Sitting out those games was tough on him," said Thaddeus Lewis, Duke's starting quarterback and Wright's roommate for the past three years. "He is such a great competitor and teammate, not being able to play really hurt him."
"I hated not being able to help my teammates," Wright added.
After starting the first five games of the year, Wright missed Duke's game with Miami in week six. He was back in the lineup the following Saturday at Vanderbilt, but re-aggravated the injury against the Commodores and was forced to hang up the cleats for the remainder of the year. Wright finished the year with 12 tackles and one interception -- numbers significantly lower than an impressive 68-tackle, three-interception season in 2007.
Now a senior, the St. Petersburg, Fla., product has played in 29 career games with 18 starting assignments, and enters the 2009 season ranking tied for seventh among active players in the ACC with five career interceptions. Back at full strength means Wright could be one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
"Leon has really good instincts," said Duke wide receiver Austin Kelly. "He's one of those quick, shifty guys who has the ability to read the quarterback and he plays man coverage really well. His instincts and ball skills are what makes him such a good cornerback."
Wright's role now involves being Duke's most experienced cornerback as well as helping the younger players develop within the program.
"(Preseason) Camp has been great," Wright said following Monday's workout. "I'm just trying to continue to learn, compete every day and help out our underclassmen. They have a lot of potential. We've got to keep going hard to get our team ready. I will be very very tough on myself this year. It's my senior season, and I didn't get to play a full season last year. So, I'm doing whatever I can to stay healthy, compete on every play and be a leader for this team."
