Photo by: Parker Waters
Spring Spotlight: John Leglue
Apr 11, 2018 | Football
By Evan Drexler
TulaneGreenWave.com
NEW ORLEANS – John Leglue wasn't sure he wanted to stay in his home state for college.
Then Tulane came calling.
Yulman Stadium was nearing completion. The Green Wave were moving from Conference USA into the American Athletic Conference. The university promised an exceptional education and a sought-after degree.
A highly motivated man athletically and academically, Leglue couldn't say no to joining Tulane. On the field and off, the Alexandria native thinks his decision has paid off.
"Tulane is a wonderful place to be," Leglue said. "The amount of connections I have made is tremendous. I know in the next 40 to 50 years I will have a lot of success due to my Tulane degree."
The fifth-year senior earned his bachelor's degree in finance in after three years on campus, and he'll graduate with an MBA in December. He has been named to the The American's All-Academic Team for each of the three years that it has been awarded while he has been at Tulane.
He excels on the field as well. After sitting out his first year in New Orleans, Leglue has become a mainstay on the offensive line. He played all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2015, and he started all 24 games in his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.
More than just being a consistent presence on the field, though, Leglue can measure his success – and the success of the entire offensive line – by looking at Tulane's rushing yards and quarterback protection.
Since he has been a starter, the Green Wave have finished fourth in the The American in back-to-back years for rushing offense. In 2016, the Green Wave running backs averaged 228.1 yards per game. And thanks to more holes opened up by Leglue and his teammates on the line, Tulane rushers broke through for 231.5 yards per game last year. In the sacks allowed category, Tulane has finished in the top half of the nation for two consecutive seasons.
"If [quarterback] Jonathan Banks throws for 300 and [running backs] Stephon Huderson and Darius Bradwell run for 200 or 300 yards, then at the end of the day you pat each other on the back and know it's a team effort," Leglue said.
Leglue and the Green Wave offensive line are hoping for more of those big games from quarterbacks and running backs in 2018. With spring practice nearly complete, Leglue said the offensive line is forming a tighter bond than ever before.
He is quick to praise offensive line coach Alex Atkins and graduate assistant Mack Helms for bringing the group together, and he defers any sort of individual praise. He said that unlike skill positions where an individual effort can make a big play, the offensive line needs to play as one unit on every snap.
"The whole offensive line is coming together as a brotherhood," he said. "Everybody has each other's back. Everybody is helping each other out, whether they need help on a play or don't really understand anything. Coach Atkins and Mack Helms are always there for us. It is just really necessary for the whole offense to click."
Just over four months from now, Leglue will begin his final season with the Green Wave. Like the rest of the roster, he's hoping the year ends in the first bowl game of his college career. With his true freshman year coming in 2014, he just missed out on Tulane's last winning team that went to the 2013 New Orleans Bowl.
But more than that, Leglue – who plans on trying to play professionally after college before starting his career in finance – is interested in building a legacy for the future of Tulane. He wants the football program and university that has meant so much to him to be a mainstay on the national scene.
"It would be a building block for the teams to come, to continue to have consecutive bowl games in the future," Leglue said. "We should go to a bowl game this year and win that so teams after us continue to go to a bowl game. We should set the standard at a high level. It is about building for the future without a doubt."
TulaneGreenWave.com
NEW ORLEANS – John Leglue wasn't sure he wanted to stay in his home state for college.
Then Tulane came calling.
Yulman Stadium was nearing completion. The Green Wave were moving from Conference USA into the American Athletic Conference. The university promised an exceptional education and a sought-after degree.
A highly motivated man athletically and academically, Leglue couldn't say no to joining Tulane. On the field and off, the Alexandria native thinks his decision has paid off.
"Tulane is a wonderful place to be," Leglue said. "The amount of connections I have made is tremendous. I know in the next 40 to 50 years I will have a lot of success due to my Tulane degree."
The fifth-year senior earned his bachelor's degree in finance in after three years on campus, and he'll graduate with an MBA in December. He has been named to the The American's All-Academic Team for each of the three years that it has been awarded while he has been at Tulane.
He excels on the field as well. After sitting out his first year in New Orleans, Leglue has become a mainstay on the offensive line. He played all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2015, and he started all 24 games in his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.
More than just being a consistent presence on the field, though, Leglue can measure his success – and the success of the entire offensive line – by looking at Tulane's rushing yards and quarterback protection.
Since he has been a starter, the Green Wave have finished fourth in the The American in back-to-back years for rushing offense. In 2016, the Green Wave running backs averaged 228.1 yards per game. And thanks to more holes opened up by Leglue and his teammates on the line, Tulane rushers broke through for 231.5 yards per game last year. In the sacks allowed category, Tulane has finished in the top half of the nation for two consecutive seasons.
"If [quarterback] Jonathan Banks throws for 300 and [running backs] Stephon Huderson and Darius Bradwell run for 200 or 300 yards, then at the end of the day you pat each other on the back and know it's a team effort," Leglue said.
Leglue and the Green Wave offensive line are hoping for more of those big games from quarterbacks and running backs in 2018. With spring practice nearly complete, Leglue said the offensive line is forming a tighter bond than ever before.
He is quick to praise offensive line coach Alex Atkins and graduate assistant Mack Helms for bringing the group together, and he defers any sort of individual praise. He said that unlike skill positions where an individual effort can make a big play, the offensive line needs to play as one unit on every snap.
"The whole offensive line is coming together as a brotherhood," he said. "Everybody has each other's back. Everybody is helping each other out, whether they need help on a play or don't really understand anything. Coach Atkins and Mack Helms are always there for us. It is just really necessary for the whole offense to click."
Just over four months from now, Leglue will begin his final season with the Green Wave. Like the rest of the roster, he's hoping the year ends in the first bowl game of his college career. With his true freshman year coming in 2014, he just missed out on Tulane's last winning team that went to the 2013 New Orleans Bowl.
But more than that, Leglue – who plans on trying to play professionally after college before starting his career in finance – is interested in building a legacy for the future of Tulane. He wants the football program and university that has meant so much to him to be a mainstay on the national scene.
"It would be a building block for the teams to come, to continue to have consecutive bowl games in the future," Leglue said. "We should go to a bowl game this year and win that so teams after us continue to go to a bowl game. We should set the standard at a high level. It is about building for the future without a doubt."
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