EDMONTON – Blink and you’ll miss him.
Javon Leake is back with the Edmonton Elks after signing a one-year extension with the club prior to the start of free agency. In his first season in the Green and Gold, Leake racked up over 1,700 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns, and was a constant on CFL highlight reels. The 26-year-old dazzled with his blazing speed, recording the fastest speed by a pro football player in 2024 at 35.8 KM/H in his 169 rushing yards, three touchdown performance in Week 9 vs. Saskatchewan.
The 2023 CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player scored touchdowns of 51, 61, and 67 yards last season, including a rush of 88 yards in which he was stopped at just shy of the major. Leake has been working away, trying to get even faster for 2025 and he is the latest player highlighted in Elks in the Offseason.
What has this offseason been like for you?
“Really just trying to prove a point to myself. I’ve been working harder than I ever have, honestly. I’m physically and mentally preparing myself to have the best season I’ve had as a professional. So that’s kind of been the mindset since the last game against Toronto. Trying to get bigger and more of a running back build. I just stay focused, trying to prove it to myself this year.”
What was it like watching the organizational changes this offseason??
“Man, I was excited, because half of the guys that we got were my teammates before in Toronto. Just seeing a couple guys that I’ve already played with, and won a championship with, that are coming to this team to bring a championship, man it’s just definitely exciting. We have the pieces, we have the coaches., now it’s time to put everything out there on the field and just prove that we are the team that we’re capable of being.”
You ended up re-signing before the big free agency haul, what was it that led you to believe that this team was heading in the right direction?
“I would say the belief that Edmonton gave me to put me as a running back rather than just returning and just showcasing my talents at running back to the CFL. Man, I’ll always respect Edmonton for that. Then, it just felt like home with the fans. When I’m in the city of Edmonton, they show love. They know who the players are. I’m just trying to get back to where we were back in the day with Edmonton and 60,000 fans in the building. I want that tradition back. I just want to be a part of that rebuild and just be a part of that success story.”
Football’s fastest man, @ny_king20. #GoElks pic.twitter.com/7V6lL340uj
— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) August 6, 2024
You’ve kind of touched on it, but last year was really your first year used as an offensive weapon. How much did you enjoy that?
“Oh, man, I love it, dog. I love it. Just being able to do different things in the backfield and just have the ball in my hands, period. Everybody so far in the CFL has used to me as a returner, so I feel like this next step in my career. I love being able to go out there and score touchdowns and catch the ball out the backfield. I feel like I’m in my natural position doing it, so it was a lot of fun.”
Your success last year, was it just opportunity or was there something different about last season that allowed you to be such an explosive weapon for the team?
“Opportunity for sure. When KB (Kevin Brown) got banged up, that was the first game I really got to showcase what I could do at running back. But the way it goes with opportunity, you just wait for your time and when your number’s called, just do what you can with it, man. Anything I can do for my team. The opportunity presented itself and I just took full advantage of it.”
You still had the fastest recorded speed by a ball carrier in pro football last year. (Raheem Mostert in 2020 was the last NFL player to top 22.5 MPH). What’s it like to have that kind of level of speed and what kind of stress does that put on a defense?
“Honestly, it’s still unbelievable that I hit that speed. It’s pretty cool though, I can’t lie. It’s pretty cool just knowing that I did hit a record that was set by a lot of NFL guys and stuff like that. I just feel like I have to keep myself at that standard, you know, don’t slow down. It just motivates myself to just keep getting better. Even though I have a great speed record and set the record, I want to get better. I want to keep proving to myself that I could do better than that, because it’s never enough for me. I want to try and seta faster record this year with the shape that I’m in and just always improve. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Last night was a movie for Javon Leake. 😳#CFL pic.twitter.com/bWJ1nB3Qa6
— CFL (@CFL) August 4, 2024
You won’t be alone in the backfield with Justin Rankin coming back. How well do you guys complement each other with your different styles?
“That is my brother. I talk to Rank every other week. We don’t go more than two weeks without staying in contact. That tells you everything you need to know about us, man. We don’t care who’s at the position, who’s starting, we know what we’ve got to do. We know that the team could lean on us. We had the number one rushing offense last year for a reason. Our O-line, me and Rank, just the connections that we all have. That’s why we had the success that we did running the ball last year. So, I’m more than excited to get back with Rank. We always talk about it. Now we got our goals set already. I can’t wait to see Rank. That’s my guy, and we’re just going to keep doing what we already got planned.”
How nice is it to have a guy like Rankin, who people don’t want to tackle and can wear down a defense. Then have a guy like yourself, who defenses just can’t catch?
“These defenses hate it. You have to try to get a bruiser running back and try to slow him down. Then once he gets tired and comes out of the game, you’ve got a fast guy that you have to try and slow down. It’s just like you got to pick your poison. And honestly, I think that’s huge for us. I think it’s the perfect balance. lightning and thunder, and it worked out last year for us. That was just the start. Rank and I got way smarter and we know our offense a little bit better. I’m just too excited to keep the momentum that we had last year with the run game, going into this season.”
It sounds like you will probably still be back in special teams to some capacity as well. Is it nice being able to do that when you have a head coach who has been a special teams coordinator and really loves that side of the ball?
“That was the first thing I thought of when I saw Mark Kilam was named our head coach. I just thought of Calgary’s special teams and just how good he was out there. As soon as he called me, I was like, ‘coach, I want to do the returning’. I’m trying to get back on that that 2023 level where I was really explosive. I know I fell off a little bit on special teams last year. There just I wasn’t as much energy once I started getting the reps to running back. But this year, that’s why I’m trying to get into better shape. I’m trying to do it all. I’m trying to be a returner and running back. I don’t want to get tired. I don’t want to come out of the game. That’s what I’m getting my body in better shape, because the more I can touch the ball, the more I feel like I can help my team out. Coach Kilam thinks the same thing, so we’re all on the same page with that. I’m definitely back at returner and I’ve got a point to prove this year.”
What are your first impressions of Mark Kilam as a head coach?
“Man, he’s a player coach. I could tell he’s definitely going look out for his players. He’s one of those coaches that wants to make sure that his players are good before anything. I can tell that he’s the type to have your back no matter what you get. I feel like he’s that type of coach, so I can’t wait. From what I’ve heard from him over the phone, he seems like a good guy. I already know what he does on special teams, so I just can’t wait to see what he does when he comes to Edmonton and helps us win. I’m just really excited to have him as my coach.”
What does a day in the life of Javon Leake look like right now?
“I usually wake up around 8:00 am, eat some fruits, cook some pancakes or something like that. Then I work out everyday, lift training at 11:00 am. Then I hit have a meal at 4-4:30 pm. Then I just relax and play some games for the rest of the time. Call my daughter throughout the day, just stuff like that. I’m trying to stay focused a little bit. But training, working out, eating properly, that’s about it. We’ve got a couple more months to go.”
Training camps coming pretty quick. What are you most excited for this season?
“Oh man, just seeing what we have on paper as far as our roster, I’m just ready to see it on the field. I’m ready to see the connections that we build. I’m ready to see some of my old teammates that I’ve played with before that. I they’re going to bring a certain attitude to this team. I’m ready to see all those names on the field and start competing against each other and really show the CFL that this is not the same Edmonton. This is a whole new squad, a whole new era, a whole new tradition, everything is new. I’m just excited to finally get out there and do it and show the rest of the CFL.”