Interview: The Bluegrass State Battles in the Trenches are being Won by 2017 DL Sean Cleasant

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Nothing beats size, heart, the right attitude, ability, and want to – and that is the summation of DuPont Manual High School’s Sean Cleasant. Cleasant showcased his skill set during the 2015 season helping the Crimsons to a 9-3 record pushing through to the second round of the Kentucky playoffs before falling to Male high School (Louisville).

Cleasant was a beast in the trenches primarily playing defensive tackle/nose guard but also lined up at defensive end mixing things up. When the season was completed, the now 6’2”, 300 pound, rising star had tallied 55 tackles, 38 solo, 5.5 sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble.

No matter the headlines, football games are won up front and every team needs a tough as nails 3-technique. College coaches have been blowing up Cleasant’s phone with direct messages hoping to bridge that gap between interest to verbal commitment. The many to extend offers includes Vanderbilt, Navy, Dartmouth, Ball State, Virginia, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, and Eastern Kentucky. The teams showing interest that could lead to more offers includes Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Louisville, Western Kentucky, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Cleasant covering his progress on the field in 2015, his offseason workouts, and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Sean, you’ve logged a lot of snaps on the field along the defensive line. What are some of the things you do really well at this point in your career?

“I’d say my aggressiveness. When I started as a freshman I came in not knowing who my opponents are and what they were running. I was cautious. Now I have high school football down pat. I can go wild. My speed has gotten better. They switch me around on the line, they don’t have me just at nose guard or defensive end. I think that is where I have improved the most.”

From a technical standpoint, what are some of the things you are doing well off the snap of the ball?

“My hand quickness is one thing. We do hand speed drills in practice working on getting on them and getting them off you. That has helped me. We do tackling drills so we don’t miss a tackle. If you see my highlight tape you see that I roll, that’s from the drills. Those two things are the biggest.”

You played on offense last year as well right?

“Yeah. I had to play offensive guard because we lost six offensive lineman. I want to win games so I went out there on offense. That is not what I do but I did it to help the team.”

Did you like playing offense?

“It was okay. It was something different. I learned the play calls and figured out who do I block on all the plays. Playing guard has helped me further my knowledge of the game as a defensive lineman. I think that gives me that edge out there.”

Did you earn any individual honors at the end of last year?

“I made an All-USA Today team but did not make All-State.”

Interesting. What are you working on offseason as a defensive lineman?

“So far, I have not truly had to get into the weight room. I’ve trained for Rivals and the (Nike) Opening regional camps. I don’t just focus on bench or squat alone. I do a lot of workouts to build up the surrounding muscles. Instead of focusing on the three main lifts I do a lot of other lifts like curls. That kind of stuff.”

Have you maxed out on bench, squat, or power clean in the offseason?

“Yeah, I have not done it in a couple of months though. On bench I maxed out at 350 and on squat I got 500. On power clean, I may be at 225. That is not a main focus we have at our school. My dead lift was 475.”

Wow, that’s a lot of weight.

“Thank you.”

Have you ran a 40-yard dash in the offseason?

“I have not ran a 40 yet. I have practiced it but I have not really done it yet.”

What are your goals for the 2016 football season?

“My goals, playing defensive tackle and defensive end instead of just nose guard, is to go from five sacks double that to 10 sacks. I want 60 to 65 tackles with 40 to 45 of those being solo tackles.”

How will your role change this year compared to 2016? Will we see you back at offensive guard this year or somewhere else like tight end?

“I told the coaches I want to play out my senior year wearing my original jersey number. They might put me in at tight end or fullback, something of that sort so I don’t have to change my jersey number. They will put me in different places but not on the offensive line this year.”

Will your highlight tape at the end of next year include a 65-yard touchdown pass from you playing tight end?

(Laughs) “Hopefully.”

Even though you have a lot of offers on the table is there a chance you might attend a college camp or two this summer?

“I might. I don’t know fully which college camps I might go to. I might go to one or two. I’m not trying to do too much going to a bunch of camps. If they have not looked at me yet, I don’t think they will now.”

Which camps might you go to this summer?

“My hometown Louisville and my coach wants me to go to Michigan State for a camp. That’s all I know of for now.”

You have eight offers on the table. Of the eight programs, is one of the schools pushing a little bit harder than the rest?

“I’ve been talking to all of them. There is not one coach that I don’t talk to either every day or every other day.”

Are there any schools recruiting you hard that have not offered you yet?

“Louisville and Cincinnati. I just talked to Cincinnati’s defensive line coach. South Carolina has sent some camp invites but I have not really talked to them too much but I’m getting a lot of mail from them – and Harvard.”

Have you been on any unofficial visits yet?

“Yeah, I went to some Louisville games, Kentucky games, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Miami of Ohio, and I’m going to Virginia.”

When you go to your visit at Virginia what will you be looking to see during that trip?

“I already have an offer from Virginia. I’m looking for a place that looks like home. I like when the players joke around with the coaches and the coaches with the players but they also take care of business. I like when coaches connect and bond with their players. I don’t want special treatment from coaches. I like when coaches are showing respect and that’s about it.”

What is your time frame on making a decision?

“I don’t have one yet. Probably sometime during my senior year, but I’m not for sure yet. I’ll finish my junior year out, go to some camps, do my research, and then commit during my senior year.”

Do you have a GPA you don’t mind sharing?

“I have a 3.5.”

Have you taken the ACT or SAT yet?

“I took the ACT but I am retaking it. I got a 22 on the ACT but the goal is to get a 25 or 27.”

What is your favorite subject in school?

“I don’t have one. I want to be an engineer so I guess math and science.”

Is there a NFL or college player you watch play the game to pick up keys for your own game?

“Not really. I don’t look up to anybody. I don’t look up to or copy someone’s style. I want to improve on my own without looking up to other people.”

Are you playing any other sports for DuPont?

“I used to wrestle. I might wrestle next year, this year it’s just football.”

What is your favorite part of playing football?

“Being able to hit people and not get in trouble.”

Sean, thanks for your time today and good luck with the camps and your ACT.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: dupontmanualfootball.com No. 98 Sean Cleasant.

Photo credit: manualredeye.com; No. 98 Sean Cleasant tackles Daniel Parker.