Derrick LeBlanc was supposed to commit on other dates. A pledge never happened.
The four-star defensive end from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola is now ready, with Florida, Oklahoma and Penn State as the three finalists. An announcement is now locked in for July 28.
A decision with some of his teammates was expected in October, but LeBlanc could not wait that long, so the four-star is going to announce next month.
June was busy enough for him with official visits to Florida and Penn State and an unofficial trip to Oklahoma.
LeBlanc has taken numerous trips to Florida, and the Gators are definitely in a strong position to land his services.
But Penn State has made it interesting because the four-star had an excellent trip to Happy Valley and likes the coaches there. And the Sooners are right in it as well with coach Brent Venables in charge, and they could be the sleeper pick at this point.
In today’s Making the Case, experts from around the Rivals network make an argument for a particular school and then National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney issues his verdict as to where he sees LeBlanc ending up.
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FLORIDA
“Co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer is in his first year coaching at Florida and he has done a tremendous job recruiting defensive linemen across the country, particularly in-state players. Spencer has secured verbal commitments from Isaiah Nixon from St. Petersburg and Gavin Hill from Gainesville. Nixon will start at the linebacker position with the opportunity to get bigger and stronger and play upfront.
LeBlanc was scheduled to make his announcement on Oct. 22 and then pushed his announcement date up. If things continue to go according to plan, he will be a Gator. LeBlanc has built a great relationship with Spencer and has tremendous chemistry with the rest of the staff. Multiple defensive linemen with scheduled announcement times have spoken to Florida and informed them they would like to move their announcement dates up. I believe LeBlanc also falls into this category. He has made close to double-digit visits to The Swamp, and proximity should play a vital role in the decision-making process.” - Jason Higdon, 1standTenFlorida.com
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OKLAHOMA
“LeBlanc is a player that has made numerous trips to Norman and through all of those trips he and his family have really connected with Brent Venables and associate head coach Todd Bates. He and his father like the development that the Sooners staff has produced at its various stops along the way and they seem to feel the coaches could make the most of his game.
“I also think the Sooners’ direct nature has hit the right chord with the entire family. Is that enough to overcome Penn State and Florida? It's hard to be sure, but every time LeBlanc has been to Norman there has been a real buzz that the Sooners could surprise most everyone.” - Josh McCuistion, SoonerScoop.com
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PENN STATE
“Although it might be tough to convince LeBlanc to leave the Sunshine State to play his college ball, Penn State is putting up one heck of a fight.
“LeBlanc only took two official visits this summer to Florida and Penn State, which would at least make you think one of those two will be his landing spot. The word is that he loved his official visit and has built a strong bond with the staff, especially with PSU’s resident Florida expert and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who has done a phenomenal job recruiting in the South for the Nittany Lions.
"So, although the Gators might hold the lead, it’s a lot closer than most think as the Nittany Lions are right there.” - Richard Schnyderite, NittanyNation.com
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THE VERDICT
"LeBlanc lives two hours from the Florida campus. He talks to players on the team and they’re pushing him to play for the Gators. Florida is looking to sign a lot of players to reload the defensive line. Recent commitments from four-stars Isaiah Nixon and Gavin Hill are not going to scare off LeBlanc. In fact, they could only reinforce his thoughts that he could get on the field earliest in Gainesville.
"I get why the four-star likes Penn State and Oklahoma – and both have definitely appealed to him in so many ways – but my pick is Florida here because it just makes the most sense on so many levels. - Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
