Derrick LeBlanc (pronounced luh-BLON with a silent "c") joined the Cardinals as defensive line coach on 3/1/23 after spending last season with the Miami Dolphins as the assistant defensive line coach.
He has 22 years of coaching experience, including 21 years at the collegiate level primarily with the defensive line. Prior to coaching in Miami, LeBlanc spent one season (2020) at the University of Arkansas following three seasons (2017-19) at the University of Kentucky. LeBlanc got his first coaching experience in the NFL with the Chicago Bears in 2004 as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
With Miami last season, LeBlanc assisted a defensive line that helped the Dolphins finish 4th in rushing defense (103.0 ypg), the team's best ranking since 2011 (3rd). LeBlanc helped DTs Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler to record breaking seasons. Wilkins totaled 98 tackles, the most by any NFL defensive lineman since 1994 and the highest total in team history. He also tied for 8th among defensive linemen with a career high 16 tackles for loss. Sieler established a career high with 70 tackles, putting him and Wilkins in the top five in the NFL among defensive tackles.
In 2020, LeBlanc served as defensive line coach at Arkansas where DT Jonathan Marshall became the Razorbacks only selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. During his tenure as Kentucky's defensive line coach (2017-19), the Wildcats went to three consecutive bowl games. LeBlanc coached a defensive line that produced two 2021 NFL Draft picks in Quinton Bohanna and Phil Hoskins. In 2018, Kentucky had their best finish in 41 years with 10 wins and the Wildcats ranked 4th (337.9 ypg) in the SEC. Kentucky held six opponents under 100 rushing yards for the first time since 1949.
Prior to Kentucky, LeBlanc spent one season as defensive line coach at North Texas (2016) and helped a defense that allowed 8.6 points per game less than they did the previous year, the 13th best turnaround in the nation. They also ranked 3rd in Conference USA in pass defense (200.2 ypg). He spent the 2015 season as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach at Pearl River Community College following two seasons (2013-14) as the defensive line coach at Southern Mississippi where he coached future pros DT Khyri Thornton and DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches. Thorton was named second-team All-Conference USA in 2013 and was drafted by Green Bay Packers in the third-round of 2014 NFL Draft. Nunez-Roches was a first-team All-Conference USA selection in 2014 and was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
LeBlanc served as defensive line coach at Wyoming in 2012 where he mentored future NFL DT Mike Purcell, who earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors. He was an assistant strength & conditioning coordinator at LSU (2008-11) where the team won the SEC Championship in his final season and appeared in the BCS National Championship game.
He coached the defensive line at Missouri State (2006-07) and Arkansas Tech (2005) after spending four seasons (2001-04) at Henderson State (2001-04) where he also served as the team's strength and conditioning coordinator.
LeBlanc began his coaching career as an offensive line/defensive line coach at Breaux Bridge (LA) High School in his hometown and started collegiately as a graduate assistant at LSU in 2000. He played four seasons (1992-96) as both an offensive and defensive lineman at Northwestern State where he earned Southland Conference All-Academic team honors as a junior and senior. LeBlanc graduated from Northwestern State with a degree in Business Administration and also earned a master's degree in Sports Administration from LSU.
He and his wife, Niema, have two sons, Dayton and Derrick, and a daughter, Kennedy.
