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Big 12 Media Days: UCF 'Blessed' to Land Oklahoma Transfer DL Derrick LeBlanc

Freshman defensive lineman announced he would leave the Sooners and enter the transfer portal on June 12, clearing the path for UCF to add Derrick LeBlanc.
Ryan Chapman|
Big 12 Media Days: UCF 'Blessed' to Land Oklahoma Transfer DL Derrick LeBlanc
Big 12 Media Days: UCF 'Blessed' to Land Oklahoma Transfer DL Derrick LeBlanc

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UCF KnightsOklahoma Sooners

ARLINGTON, TX — Gus Malzahn isn’t new to major college football.

The former Auburn coach is leading the UCF Knights into the Big 12 with a clear vision of what it will take to compete at a high level in 2023.

“As far as challenging… having quality depth when you move up conferences and leagues specifically on the o-line and d-line,” Malzahn said at Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium on Thursday. “And we’ve worked extremely hard. And I really feel like today going into fall camp we do have quality depth on both lines of scrimmage.

And that was really by design and we really feel good about that.”

To help along the defensive front, the Knights signed 4-star defensive lineman John Walker in the 2023 class.

But this summer, Malzahn notched another big recruiting win.

Derrick LeBlanc, another 4-star defensive line recruit from the Sunshine State, entered the transfer portal after participating in spring practice at Oklahoma.

It didn’t take long for LeBlanc to make his decision, opting to return to his home state and enroll at UCF.

Regardless of how he ended up in Orlando, Malzahn was just happy to get LeBlanc into the facility.

“He’s big time,” Malzahn said. “And he was one of the better players we felt like defensively in the country in the last signing class.”

The relationship between Malzahn and LeBlanc spanned years, allowing UCF to lean on a good relationship while trying to land the young defensive lineman out of the portal.

“I started recruiting (him) in ninth grade… So knew him well,” Malzahn said. “And he decided to go to another school and then he decided to come back. He’s a phenomenal player and we’re blessed to have him.”

The timeline of LeBlanc’s arrival in Orlando will pose a challenge for him to make an impact early in 2023.

Missing spring practice, LeBlanc will have to wait until fall camp to fully take the field in practice with the UCF defensive staff.

But Malzahn said he was pleased with how LeBlanc has integrated into the program thus far.

The Knights will travel to Norman on Oct. 21 where there will not only be a reunion between LeBlanc and Oklahoma, but former UCF quarterback Dillon Gabriel will take on the program where he got his start in college football. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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