Former Judson star Leal provides boost
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M offensive lineman Carson Green had a front-row view of teammate DeMarvin Leal’s highlight-reel interception Saturday at Alabama.
Leal twisting his body and smoothly hauling in a deflected pass in stride was remarkable for starters, Green said, but it’s what happened afterward that let fans know the defensive lineman is special.
“He starts running, and if you watch, he does a hurdle when someone (tries to) tackle him,” Green said. “He’s 300 pounds. That’s pretty impressive.”
Nearly as impressive was Leal’s deflection when he was asked about the interception. He handed most of the acclaim to a fellow defensive lineman for swatting Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones’ pass off course.
“I give credit to Tyree Johnson for the ‘mirror hand,’ ” Leal said of Johnson raising his hand to the
correct side as the righthanded Jones looked left and prepared to sling the ball. “Every day that’s what we work on — the mirror hand — and getting our hands upwhen the quarterback throws the ball.”
No. 2 Alabama manhandled No. 21 A&M 52-24, but Leal’s solid play stood out, and A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said the future is bright for the former five-star prospect from Judson.
“He has an unbelievably competitive nature,” said Fisher, whose Aggies host No. 4 Florida at 11a.m. Saturday. “When he’s on the field, I don’t ever see him loaf for one second. I don’t care what drill it is, what we’re doing or how we do it. Those kinds of guys change cultures of an organization. Because they’re great players, and they’re highly recruited players who play like they have no ability — with their effort and toughness.”
Leal said Aggies defensive line coach Terry Price, originally hired by Kevin Sumlin eight years ago, began pursuing him when he was a freshman in high school.
“I knew I wanted to come here from Day 1, since my freshman year and getting an offer,” Leal said. “Coach Price is the biggest reason — the dude is a legend. Being able to play with him behind my back — I knew I was going to be able to prosper as an athlete.”
Leal, who wears No. 8, is A&M’s No. 8overall rated recruit since 247Sports began compiling such rankings about two decades ago. At 6-4 and nearly 300 pounds, the sophomore is athletic and versatile enough to play outside or inside, giving opposing offenses headaches in trying to plan for his whereabouts.
“I love both (positions) and have been playing them all my life,” Leal said. “Being able to go inside and out, I really don’t care. It’s just — let’s do it. It doesn’t matter when, where or how. I’m down.”
While the Aggies lost by four touchdowns to Alabama, Leal’s presence as a highly rated defender making plays as an underclassman offers A&M fans hope for coming seasons. Fisher’s first two full recruiting classes, 2019 and 2020, ranked fourth and sixth nationally via 247Sports, two of their top three finishes this century in recruiting.
“He’s a freak athlete,” said Green, who faces Leal plenty in practice. “He can play anywhere on the line, and he brings a lot of juice to the team.”
That juice includes plenty of bellowing from the big man during drills, Green added with a chuckle.
“During practice, he’s always yelling,” Green said. “And sure, I might not like it. It kind of gets annoying every now and then. “If the (defensive line) is happy, we probably didn’t do something good. (But) he has a bright future, especially as a team leader.”
Leal, an Army All-American at Judson, said his reason for the seemingly perpetual histrionics is simple: It makes his teammates on the other side of the ball better.
“When you’re in a game and going against other athletes, most of them try to get in your head and mess up your game. They try to distract you,” Leal said. “That’s my biggest thing: trying to talk a whole bunch of mess, like Kobe (Bryant) and (Michael) Jordan did. To make the (A&M offensive linemen) better and get them used to that so theydon’t react in a negative way in a game.”
Leal’s coach at Judson, Sean McAuliffe, said his star player never sought the spotlight during high school and kept his recruiting process low-profile — a rarity among coveted prospects.
“Marv didn’t need all of those things. He trusted us,” said McAuliffe, now in his second season at Cypress Ranch. “He was just focused on making sure his grades were good, making sure he could graduate early and putting himself in a position to have a great senior year.”