COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football is looking to close out its 2021 recruiting class with two explosive signings while continuing to build in 2022.
The next step is getting a head start in 2023, where it’s already on the short list of defensive end Derrick LeBlanc of Osceola High School. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Florida native listed the Buckeyes alongside Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and USC in his top 10.
TOP TEN 🔟 @FootballKowboy pic.twitter.com/Qe087e0jbG
— Derrick Leblanc 🚶🏾♂️ (@getrightderrick) January 25, 2021
His decision to cut down his list comes after earning an OSU offer in July.
Typically by this point, there’d already be a composite ranking for a sophomore class. But a combination of the recruiting dead period and a lack of continuity among states for high school football seasons has prevented that.
A player of LeBlanc’s stature — 38 offers including nine from the Big Ten — would probably be considered a top 100 recruit and potentially worth five-star status. Instead, he doesn’t even have a 247Sports.com player ranking yet. Ohio State has offered 16 players in the 2023 class, and four others are unrated, as Blanc is.
The 2023 class potentially gives the Buckeyes a chance to have a similar level of success in Florida that they’ve had in California and Texas the past two cycles. Florida is home to nine OSU targets, and Ohio is the only other state with more than one with two.
LeBlanc remembers receiving his OSU offer. He remembers getting on the phone with running backs coach Tony Alford and hearing him say the words “You know where home’s at” or constantly hearing from early enrollee Jack Sawyer (2021) and commit C.J. Hicks (2022). He also remembers his humble roots, including running from an alligator, which is apparently a pretty common thing in central Florida.
“It’s just a blessing because their D-line coach (Larry Johnson), he produces so much, like the best d-ends in the nation,” Leblanc told cleveland.com in August. “To get offered by them is a true blessing.”
LeBlanc joins teammate John Walker and Ohio native Brenan Vernon as 2023 recruits with Ohio State offers. Walker plans to reveal a top 12 soon while Vernon — the No. 9 player and top strongside defensive end according to 247Sports — has long been favored to the Buckeyes.
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