Report: Cardinals to hire Dolphins assistant Derrick LeBlanc as DL coach

The Cardinals are reportedly hiring Miami Dolphins assistant defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc to be Arizona’s new DL coach, according to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson.

Wilson adds that LeBlanc has “agreed to terms to join” new head coach Jonathan Gannon in the Valley.

LeBlanc just got done with his 22nd year of coaching, with the previous 21 seasons all coming at the collegiate level — mostly of which has been on the D-line.

He was Arkansas’ defensive line coach in 2020, where he helped defensive tackle Jonathan Marshall become the only Razorback to get drafted in 2021.

Prior to that, LeBlanc was Kentucky’s DL coach from 2017-19. DTs Quinton Bohanna and Phil Hoskins were both drafted in 2021 as well.

Other stops along the way for the defensive line coach included North Texas in 2016, Pearl River Community College (defensive coordinator) in 2015 and Southern Mississippi from 2013-14.

The latter saw DTs Khyri Thornton and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches get selected in the third round of the 2014 draft and the sixth round of the 2015 draft, respectively.

LeBlanc also spent 2012 at Wyoming, where he mentored DT Mike Purcell, who went undrafted but just got done with his 10th season in the NFL.

Prior to that, LeBlanc was an assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at LSU from 2008-11, with the Tigers winning the SEC Championship en route to a 2012 BCS National Championship Game appearance in his final season in Baton Rouge.

Other collegiate programs he coached featured Missouri State (2006-07), Arkansas Tech (2005) and Henderson State (2001-04), while LeBlanc’s first experience came as a graduate assistant at LSU in 2000.

LeBlanc also played both offensive and defensive line at Northwestern State from 1992-96 before coaching both positions at Breaux Bridge High School in his hometown in Louisiana.

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