Boise State commit Leong still learning the ins and outs of the offensive line
Even at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, Boise State offensive line commit Riden Leong never thought he would play Division I college football. For most of his high school career, he wasn’t even thinking about the sport.
Growing up in Hawaii, Leong was always bigger than most of his friends. Especially after a growth spurt during his sophomore year, he towered over his classmates. But he never gave football a shot until his senior year.
Leong spent much of his adolescence on baseball diamonds and basketball courts. His father, Rider Leong, didn’t get the full high school football experience and didn’t want his son to have the same regrets. Rider only played his freshman and sophomore years before he had to go out and get a job to support his growing family.
“He’s the size I wanted to be in high school,” Rider said by phone. “It was tough for him to learn everything early, but I knew he could do it. He’s a smart kid.”
A little less than two years after he graduated high school without a single scholarship offer, Leong chose Boise State from a list of schools that included TCU, Hawaii, Iowa State, Liberty, San Jose State and University of Texas-San Antonio.
“It’s really crazy. I didn’t even think I was going to college after high school,” Leong said by phone, adding that he’s the first member of his family to go to college. “I didn’t really pay any mind to the big, big offers because I’m not that person, but Boise is not too big, not too small. It’s the perfect size, which I really like. Everything was like the perfect fit for me once I visited.”
Leong was in Boise on Oct. 12 for the Broncos’ win over Hawaii. He was blown away by the blue turf in Albertsons Stadium and by every coach and player he met. When he made his way back to Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, he knew Boise State was the place for him. He verbally committed on Oct. 21.
“When he got back, he said ‘Coach, when I stepped on campus, I knew I wanted to be a Bronco. It felt like home,’” Orange Coast football coach Joel “Bubba” Gonzalez said. “I’m super fired up for him. He’s put in a lot of work to get to this point and moved his whole life here to California.”
Leong hails from Waimanalo, Hawaii, and he is the only one of four kids who went to private school. He attended Maryknoll — a school in Honolulu that is so small it can’t field a football team by itself. It’s actually one of five small schools on the island that combine their athletes to form the Pac-5 Wolfpack.
Playing more established teams, the Wolfpack didn’t have much success during Leong’s time there, but it’s where he first got a taste of what motivates him to keep putting his pads on.
“We had players. We just never had experienced players,” Leong said. “The thing that kept me playing football is the brotherhood.”
Leong landed at Orange Coast last summer, and though Gonzalez conceded he was very raw, he saw something in what he described as a “mellow Hawaii kid,” who was already pushing 300 pounds.
“He’s such a great athlete that it just took learning the ins and outs of the offensive line,” Gonzalez said. “Playing offensive line is kind of an awkward position, and just like running, throwing and catching, it’s something you’ve got to get used to.”
Leong had to start from the beginning. Before he even began to perfect his kick or footwork, he had to learn how to properly fire out of a three-point stance. But last fall, he took over at left tackle three games into his freshman season, and he has started all six games there this year.
“Last year was really a developmental year for him, but that’s what community college is all about,” Gonzalez said. “He has probably grown about an inch or two and put on 20 or 30 pounds since he got here, and he might not be done growing. That’s the crazy thing about him. He has gotten so big but he hasn’t lost his athleticism. That’s one of the things Boise State loved about him.”
Whether he stays at tackle or bumps inside to guard, Leong will arrive at Boise State at a time when there are plenty of jobs up for grab on the offensive line. This fall, left guard John Molchon, center Garrett Larson and right guard Eric Quevedo are all redshirt seniors, and left tackle Ezra Cleveland is a redshirt junior, who may have his sights set on the NFL after this season.
NO. 21 BOISE STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE
When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: CEFCU Stadium (30,456 grass), San Jose, California
TV: CBS Sports Network (Carter Blackburn, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State is 6-1 overall, 3-0 Mountain West; San Jose State is 4-4, 1-3.
Series: Boise State leads 13-0 (last meeting: Boise State won 45-31 in 2016 in Boise)
Vegas line: Boise State by 17
Weather: 77 degrees, sunny, 8 mph wind
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 2:31 PM.
