Elite 2023 Defensive Lineman Learned A Lot During His Notre Dame Visit

Notre Dame hosted elite 2023 defensive lineman Derrick LeBlanc, and the Irish made a strong impression

Notre Dame is off to a hot start in 2023 defensive line recruiting, with a pair of commitments in Brenan Vernon and Keon Keeley. The Irish would like to add more impact pieces along the line, and one of the best prospects on the board is Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola star Derrick LeBlanc. Ranked as a five-star and the No. 23 player in the country on the 247Sports. composite board, LeBlanc is certainly the kind of elite talent that Notre Dame wants to complement Vernon and Keeley with.

Notre Dame hosted LeBlanc for a visit in late July for its "Grill and Chill" recruiting even, and he spoke with Irish Breakdown about that trip.

“When I got there, they sat me down immediately to talk ball, because they knew that’s what I wanted to do.” recalled the five-star lineman. “Just hear about the way they could develop me. Then I went and talked to the strength [coaches], which is important to me too … It was just a really good experience.”

Connecting with coaches and staff was also a vital part to LeBlanc's visit.

“I hung out with the whole defensive staff," he explained. "Seeing Coach [Mike] Elston and Coach [Marcus] Freeman was good for me.”

Although he does not have his plans set in stone, LeBlanc wants to get back to campus and he will possibly get an up-close and personal view of the Irish when they play the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee on September 5th.

“I’m going to try to get up (to Notre Dame) for a game. If not [this season], I’ll just go next year,” LeBlanc added. “When (Notre Dame) plays Florida State, I’ll probably go to that.

LeBlanc is a thoughtful young man, and that is on display when he was asked what he wants for his future school. 

“There’s a lot of things that go into that," LeBlanc said of what he wants in a future school. "For me, there are five main things; People, the way you can develop me, the strength coaches, the education, and all the little things.” Leblanc continued, “(The little things are) do the players go to class face to face? You never know, you could be sitting next to a billionaire, and I am looking at life after football.”

Regarding his recruiting process and a potential commitment, a decision could come soon, or it could come way down the road, LeBlanc isn't sure.

“I really can’t say too much, you guys never know, I could be making a decision soon, you never know,” LeBlanc answered with a laugh, before listing his top schools. “Ohio State, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami, Clemson and Notre Dame, of course.”

Going into the trip, the Irish were perceived to be behind a few schools, chief among them being Ohio State. We will have to wait and see what kind of impact LeBlanc’s unofficial visit made on his recruiting process. However, Notre Dame seems to check all the boxes for LeBlanc, which should make the Irish strong contenders until the end. 

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