Oklahoma Sooners football has landed the commitment of Florida defensive lineman

Oklahoma wasn’t about to let the month end without one more bang on the recruiting trail. And one more massive win for head coach Brent Venables and company.

Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola defensive lineman Derrick Leblanc becomes the latest four-star commitment for the Sooners, picking OU on Thursday evening.

Leblanc was down to a final three of OU, Penn State and Florida, with most agreeing it was a showdown between the Sooners and Gators.

Maybe once upon a time, this is a battle OU doesn’t win, but this is starting to become the normal around Norman when it comes to defensive recruits. Guys that might not have appeared to be headed to the Sooners before are now legitimate candidates and big-time victories.

In the span of three months, Leblanc took three visits to Norman, including an official visit June 3 weekend for the ChampU Family BBQ.

Leblanc is another sign of how Venables’ line of thinking can work. OU was the first major official visit as Leblanc went to Florida on June 10 and Penn State on June 17, then took the next month to evaluate and figure things out.

He becomes four-star commitment No. 8 this month and ninth overall. OU now has 18 commitments overall with nine at the four-star ranking and nine as three stars.

Leblanc is an interesting prospect going down the road just in terms of whether he ends up being a defensive end, or with his size, does he end up moving inside. Either way, his tape suggests he’ll be effective at either spot.

The Sooners began the month ranked in the 40s for the 2023 class and now end firmly entrenched in the top 10, with perhaps even more good news to come in August.

Leblanc is the second four-star commitment of the week, joining Spanaway (Wash.) Lake cornerback Jasiah Wagoner. And Leblanc is one heck of a way to close.