The Recruiting Guy

LeBlanc making strong impression on top JUCO D-lineman

Defensive lineman Jalen Williams had a season-high eight tackles at Southwest Mississippi on Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by Chuck Barnes via Jones College)

Arkansas impressed one of the nation’s top junior college defensive linemen during a recent virtual tour.

“i did one with them early last week and I was really liking what I saw,” Jalen Williams said. “I really liked the facilities and the staff looked very friendly and I felt like they could develop me very well.”

Williams, 6-3, 310 pounds, of Jones (Miss.) College has 14 scholarship offers from schools including Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, Ole Miss, Colorado, Memphis, Duke, Washington State and others.

The Tylertown, Miss., native is being recruited by Arkansas defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc.

“They're always letting me know how badly they want me to come down and how they care about me as a person also, not just as a player," Williams said, "and thats something I appreciate.

“(LeBlanc) a very real down-to-earth person that's gonna be for real with you and make sure you do what's best for you. He cares about you as a person, not just a football player.”

Williams was named second-team all-conference by the Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges as a freshman last year when he recorded 28 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, a sack and 2 quarterback hurries. He has been named to the JCGridiron.com preseason defensive tackle watch list.

He also excels in the classroom where he was named Academic All-MACJC.

Williams plans to graduate in December. He said the NCAA dead period that was implemented March 13 has complicated his recruitment and decision-making process.

“It will be a very hard decision but I would just have to choose off the information I have right now,” Williams said.

Williams said Arkansas is one of his top four schools and he might announce his college decision soon, "maybe sometime this or next week."