One official on-campus visit was all it took for Max LeBlanc to make up his mind.
After narrowing his list of college choices to four recently — Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee — the Baylor School tight end committed to the Buckeyes shortly after completing visits to those four programs.
"There was a lot of pressure with this decision for me and my family," LeBlanc said. "But I knew after my visits that Ohio State is the right place for me. I've been a fan of the program growing up and being there around the coaches and other players made me sure of my decision.
"I just really liked seeing the relationship the coaches have with the players, the energy at practice and the facilities. Ohio State has been known for player development and I wanted to go somewhere that could make me the best I can be."
A transfer from Montreal, Canada, when LeBlanc arrived at Baylor prior to last season he was coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL. He was cleared to play nearly a month prior to his expected return and wound up with 39 catches for 689 yards and three touchdowns to earn Division II-AAA all-state honors in helping the Red Raiders claim their first state championship in 49 years.
Rated a 4-star prospect and the No. 276 overall player in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder also had offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Duke, Stanford, Penn State, Miami, South Carolina and Kentucky among others.
"He has the God-given size and ability to play tight end at any Power Five school," said Baylor coach Erik Kimrey. "Max has elite hands — maybe even the best I've ever seen — and it only took watching a couple of routes to know we had something really special.
"He's also arguably the hardest working kid in our program. It's like watching a true professional already and he handles himself in such a way that it's exciting for younger kids to see his approach and model themselves after him."
LeBlanc's three older siblings all play collegiate sports as well, with one brother on the tennis team at the University of Kentucky, another is a decathlete at High Point University and his sister currently plays tennis at the University of Portland.
"It was a hard move at first, but the people in Tennessee are so nice, especially at Baylor, that it made the transition much easier," LeBlanc said. "I know I'm at the right place, even though I'm not at home, and I've become a lot more confident in what I can do now.
"I've been a fan of Ohio State's program for a while, so I'm really excited to get to be a part of it."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.