Billy Napier, Florida Gators Prioritizing 2023 DL Derrick LeBlanc
Since arriving in Gainesville, new Florida head coach Billy Napier and his staff have been almost singularly focused on working toward filling out the Gators' 2022 recruiting class as they only have about three months to do so.
However, there are some prospects in the 2023 class that have heard from Florida with one being defensive line prospect Derrick LeBlanc from Osceola High School in Kissimmee (Fla.).
“Coach [Patrick] Toney, coach Napier and coach [Jamar] Chaney are the main people," LeBlanc, asked who he's spoken with at UF, told AllGators in an interview. "Coach Chaney, I have been talking to since my freshman year.”
Chaney was recently hired by Napier as a linebackers analyst, following two seasons at Mississippi State and after spending the 2019 season at Florida in the player personnel department. Toney, meanwhile, is UF's new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
LeBlanc is one of the top prospects in the country at his position and has no shortage of scholarship offers from blue blood programs across the nation. He is someone that was prioritized by the previous staff in Gainesville, and even though the entire staff has been turned over, the interest from Florida hasn’t regressed.
“They always tell me they aren’t going to let me leave the state," LeBlanc said. "They told me I could play the 3 [defensive line technique], the 5, and could sometimes slide me inside. They’re just telling me this is the place you need to be.”
While being close to home can be a factor for many prospects, that isn’t the case for LeBlanc. He has a business-like approach to the recruiting process and rightly so, as the landscape of college football is just that: A business.
“No, [distance] is not [a factor]. What are you going to tell the NFL if they draft you, like in Green Bay, are you going to tell them no? If you have a great chance, a great opportunity to leave, go do it.” LeBlanc pondered. “You know, this game is a business and a coach could leave anytime for some money because their families come first.
"So, for me, I’m looking at who can develop me more, I don’t care about a logo.”
Florida has yet to officially hire a defensive line coach, and while Napier and Co. didn’t tell LeBlanc exactly who it would be, they hinted that LeBlanc would like the hire. Reportedly, that hire will be current Los Angeles Rams defensive line coach Eric Henderson.
“They haven’t told me [who it is] yet, but they told me it’s going to be a big surprise and that I’ll like him a lot," said LeBlanc. "So, I started to do my research and I still couldn’t find out who.”
It was a big deal when Napier was able to bring Chaney back to Gainesville not just because of his work as an analyst but also because of the relationships he’s been able to build and establish with players from all over the country. LeBlanc is one of the prospects that continued to hear from Chaney when he made the move to Starkville, Miss.
“He always used to tell me you’re going to be one of the best to do it," LeBlanc spoke of Chaney. "He told me just keep grinding and keep your head on a swivel and always stay humble about everything. He’s one of the realest dudes I know.”
LeBlanc is someone that was a regular in the Swamp at the beginning of last season as he attended several of Florida's home games. He hopes to return to The Swamp and the UF campus again soon once the dead period is lifted in mid-January.
Visits are a huge part of the recruiting process and LeBlanc has taken full advantage of that. He has seen countless college campuses across the country and seemed like he was inching closer to a decision not too long ago when he tweeted out his top seven schools with the caption “committing soon” on Dec. 22.
However, he told AllGators that he has walked that statement back a bit and slowed down his commitment timeline.
“I pushed things back," LeBlanc said. "With all these coaching changes, it’s crazy.”
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