Ohio State University Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had never left the United States to recruit. It was Maxence LeBlanc's appeal that led him to travel from Columbus to Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville to formalize the connection with the promising tight end.
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“Last week he visited me and had dinner with my tight ends coach at my house in Saint-Bruno. It was something! It was the first time he left the country. “It made me realize once again how great the interest in me is,” said the son of former tennis player Sébastien LeBlanc, still in disbelief, in an interview.
The man who played his school football at the Dynamics of Collège Charles-Lemoyne and then went into exile in Tennessee with Baylor Secondary Preparatory School has known for several months that he will make the jump to Ohio State.
The fact remains that you never know until everything is cast in concrete…
“It's a huge relief to know that everything is actually official. It gives me a chance to just focus on next season, to get to Ohio State and be ready,” he said.
Forever in love
Maxence LeBlanc and his loved ones Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
This is the continuation of a big week for Quebec players. Following the high-profile signing of Steve Pierre Bolo Mboumoua from the University of Alabama the day before, LeBlanc realized his dream of representing another great bastion of American college football at Ohio State.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound young man was spoiled for choice with 31 scholarship offers, including several from prestigious programs such as Alabama, Michigan, Florida State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami, Ole Miss and Tennessee, to name a few to name.
“I always followed Ohio State. It was my favorite team and my dream was always to play there. During the recruiting phase, I tried to put that out of my mind and really look at all my options. When I visited Ohio State, I knew within five minutes that it was the right place for me,” he said.
Ready for a big challenge
Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
A large program naturally means great competition for the few available starting places. Even though it might be difficult to get playing time, LeBlanc doesn't shy away from such a challenge.
“I told myself that the best players were going there and that I would have the opportunity to train with them every day. This allows me to improve. I have great confidence in my abilities, my work ethic and what I can do on the field.
“I want to contribute as quickly as possible. I'm really preparing to get there at a certain weight to secure a spot on the grid. Tight end remains a position that is often learned in the first year. “It's a pretty complicated position because you're as much a part of the ground game as you are the passing game,” he noted.
At Ohio State, LeBlanc believes he needs to refine his game as a blocker most of all.
“I see myself primarily as a receiver. The coaches like the combination of my body type and my speed, my hands, my running routes and even though I played primarily as a receiver, they also like my base as a blocker. With the right coaching I can still progress and Ohio State is clearly the right place for me to coach,” he said.
Under the wing of Antony Auclair
In the meantime, he doesn't hesitate to ask for advice from another tight end who made it to the NFL: Antony Auclair.
“I trained with him. I went to Quebec a few times and learned a lot from him,” he said.
There's the size, there's the work ethic, there's the performance on the field, but most of all, there's another advantage that made Maxence LeBlanc a natural at Ohio State.
“I already hate Michigan!” said the tight end with loud laughter about the great rivalry he is already looking forward to with his arch enemy.