Derrick LeBlanc (pronounced luh-BLON, with a silent "c") is an American football coach who currently serves as the defensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He joined the Cardinals in March 2023, bringing over two decades of coaching experience, primarily focused on defensive line development at both the collegiate and professional levels.
| Arizona Cardinals | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive line coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | May 6, 1974 Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Northwestern State |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
Early life and playing career
editLeBlanc was born and raised in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where he attended Breaux Bridge High School. His coaching career began at the same school, but his athletic journey began as a player. LeBlanc played four seasons of college football at Northwestern State University from 1992 to 1996, where he contributed as both an offensive and defensive lineman.[2][1] He earned Southland Conference All-Academic team honors during his junior and senior years. LeBlanc graduated from Northwestern State with a degree in Business Administration.[1]
Coaching career
editLeBlanc began his coaching career at the high school level, serving as both an offensive and defensive line coach at his alma mater, Breaux Bridge High School. His collegiate coaching journey started as a graduate assistant at Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2000.[1]
LeBlanc went on to coach at various universities and gained recognition for developing strong defensive line units. His coaching career includes stints at Henderson State (2001–04), Arkansas Tech (2005), Missouri State (2006–07), and Wyoming (2012). He also served as an assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at LSU from 2008 to 2011, during which LSU won the SEC Championship and appeared in the BCS National Championship game.[2][1]
LeBlanc also made an impact at Southern Mississippi (2013–14), where he coached future NFL defensive tackles Khyri Thornton and Rakeem Nunez-Roches. In 2015, he served as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Pearl River Community College before moving on to North Texas in 2016, where his defensive line helped improve the team's defensive statistics.[2]
From 2017 to 2019, LeBlanc was the defensive line coach at the University of Kentucky, where he helped the Wildcats achieve three consecutive bowl appearances. His work at Kentucky produced two 2021 NFL Draft picks, Quinton Bohanna and Phil Hoskins. LeBlanc then coached at the University of Arkansas in 2020,[3] where he mentored defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall, who was selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.[1]
LeBlanc's first NFL coaching experience came with the Chicago Bears in 2004 as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. He later joined the Miami Dolphins as the assistant defensive line coach in 2022,[4] where he played a role in helping the Dolphins finish 4th in the NFL in rushing defense (103.0 yards per game). He also helped Dolphins defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler achieve career-best seasons.[1]
In March 2023, LeBlanc was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as their defensive line coach.[5]
Personal life
editDerrick LeBlanc earned a master's degree in Sports Administration from LSU. He is married to Niema LeBlanc, and they have three children: two sons, Dayton and Derrick, and a daughter, Kennedy [1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Official Site of the Arizona Cardinals".
- ^ a b c "Derrick LeBlanc". January 6, 2020.
- ^ "Kentucky football defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc headed to Arkansas".
- ^ "PRESS RELEASE: Miami Dolphins announce 2022 coaching staff".
- ^ "Arizona Cardinals to hire Derrick LeBlanc as DL coach, per report". February 23, 2023.