Tai Leonard has been a staple on the UTSA defensive line since arriving in 2022 when he earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors. Since then, he hasn’t slowed down, save for a redshirt season in 2024. He has been voted to wear one of the program’s coveted single digits in back-to-back seasons, cementing him as a leader on the Roadrunners' vaunted defense. This season, however, Leonard kept the number 99, which reflects his outlook as a defensive lineman.
“It’s like the desperate versus prosperous type of mindset,” Leonard said. “The player makes the number, so I’m just trying to be a great player and make plays. I started in 99, and I’d like to finish in it for sure.”
Leonard has enjoyed success on the field despite playing a position that doesn’t get a lot of shine. Ubuntu, I am because we are, has become a rallying cry for UTSA, and he understands his job is to be one of 11 on the defense.
“A lot of it is mental on the defensive line. You can be as big as you want, but you have to have the will to put yourself in the gap and your body on the line. I enjoy having guys like Jusiah Sampleton and Jameian Buxton next to me, so we have some fun. It is a buy-in thing. We have a lot of older guys who have been here before, and they get the younger guys to buy in. It’s easier to buy in when everyone else around you is bought in.”
He brings a relentless mindset to the field, something he shows to newcomers after learning from those who came before him.
“It was easy coming in under guys like Asyrus Simon and Trumane Bell and learning from them. So, I was blessed to have people there to help me develop. If you want the best for yourself, it’s hard to be satisfied. Everyone has standards and goals for themselves, but I try to make my goals unreachable in (a) way. If three guys are blocking me, I’m still going to try and make the play. It’s that mindset. I’ve been trying to pour into myself more and having that standard helps me play really hard.”
In the current era, a player of Leonard’s caliber, standing at a commanding 6-feet, 5 inches tall and 260 pounds, could have his pick of teams in the transfer portal. Still, Leonard cited the culture that head coach Jeff Traylor has established as the main reason for returning to UTSA as a redshirt senior.
“I stayed for the environment. I’m still learning about myself and how to handle things that don’t go my way. E+R=O. Event plus response equals outcome, and having a coach that cares more about the person than the production goes a long way. Coach could have kicked me off for not producing when I got injured, but he poured into me, and it was appreciated.”