Leblanc Making No Friends

Kissimmee, Fla. – Coming into the game with an 0-5 record Celebration, while facing a Osceola high bunch that boasts six players who currently hold power five offers, seemed to have brought a knife to a gunfight with the Kowboys. And a 56-0 night later there’s not much to argue against that belief.

And the Kowboys domination all started up front with their dynamic pairing of Oklahoma commitment Derrick Leblanc and UCF defensive tackle pledge John Walker.

It was SoonerScoop.com’s first time seeing the Sooners pledge in person and even amongst such a talented roster he was about impossible not to notice hitting the field. Leblanc’s listed 6-foot-4 and 265-pounds seems pretty close to dead on.

In such a dominant performance Leblanc didn’t play much beyond the first quarter but his ability to get underneath blocks was impressive to see and he uses his length very to keep blockers away from his body. With time he’ll get even better with his pad level and his quickness will become even more dangerous.

Unlike a lot of talented young defensive lineman he doesn’t simply line up at one position he moves around all over the defensive line which allows Leblanc to show what made him such a priority for Todd Bates and co.

Leblanc has the body type of a guy who still has a lot of filling out to do, he’s got so much length he looks a bit lighter than he actually is. But in the college game it’s not hard to see him becoming a dominant interior pass rusher and the Sooners being able to slide him out wide without having to change personnel defensively.

*Though Leblanc is Oklahoma’s lone current offer on the roster it’s not hard to see a world where 2025 running back Taveion Swint joins that list in the very near future. The explosive back broke a 72-yard touchdown run off the left side for the Kowboys and looked incredibly fast in doing so. It’s not hard to see why he’s an early member of the Rivals100 and seems very likely to be a target for Demarco Murray before long.

**Walker, a UCF commit, who was offered by the Sooners early on, is a dominant force in the run game and is kind of the opposite of Leblanc in that he’s so bullishly put together that he seems shorter than he actually is. Once you stand next to him, you realize there’s plenty of size and Walker is surprising with his quickness – frequently disrupting Celebration’s offense in this one.

***Speaking of impressive builds, few defensive backs anywhere seem to have the physical makeup you’re looking for more than Osceola defensive back, and Florida commit, Jakeem Jackson. The big defensive back was rarely challenged in the passing game but just watching him work through drills it’s not hard to see the potential that is here.