Coming Home: McKinney ISD announces Nate Leonard as Lions' new head coach

Thirteen years after graduating from McKinney High School, a Lion returns to the den! On Monday evening, McKinney ISD announced that it has hired Lions alumnus Nate Leonard as the new head coach for McKinney High School.

McKinney ISD athletic director Jennifer Frazier took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to showcase her excitement about the hire: "Incredible things are ahead!" wrote Frazier.

A standout center on the offensive line during his time in a Lions' jersey, Leonard played college football at UTSA as a key part of the inaugural Roadrunners team. Leonard earned the first Academic All-American award in UTSA history (2013) among many other honors throughout his collegiate career such as Conference USA Scholar-Ahtlete of the Year (2013), William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist (2014), Golden Feather Award (2013), and more. Leonard continued to contribute to his community as he served as a teacher and assistant football coach around the San Antonio area before joining the Duke coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Most recently, Leonard served as the head football coach and athletic coordinator for Canyon High School in New Braunfels-- part of Comal ISD. Leonard also started a boys and girls competitive powerlifting program for the school.

As the head coach at Canyon, Leonard led the team to their first back-to-back winning seasons as well as their first back-to-back playoff appearances in over a decade while also performing as a positive role model for his athletes. Remaining encouraging and motivating the student-athletes to work just as hard in the classroom as they do on the field; 45 football athletes were listed on the Academic All-District team while 17 were listed on the THSCA Academic All-State team in 2023. Active in the community, Leonard has portrayed his philanthropic spirit while helping fundraise for several events throughout the year.

Posting his goodbye to Canyon on X, Leonard looks at heading home where he will take the reigns at his alma mater- a team that went 9-3 overall this season (5-2 in district play) with a playoff appearance. The Lions fans should rest well knowing their student-athletes will be in great hands as Leonard prepares to expand his legacy, add to McKinney ISD Athletics' tradition of excellence, and continue to raise the Gold Standard at McKinney High.