Leandre Diarra
 Leandre Diarra in a London Royals brown and gold color rush alternate jersey. | |
| No. 45 – Cape Town Crash | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Fullback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 3, 2026 (aged 34) Paris, France |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Username: | Slate-2 |
| Career information | |
| College: | Columbia |
| ISFL Draft: | 2051 / Round: 2 / Pick: 24 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2050 / Round: 6 / Pick: 42 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Leandre Souleymane Diarra (born September 3, 2027) is an American football fullback who plays for the Cape Town Crash in the ISFL. He previously played for the London Royals and Minnesota Grey Ducks at the DSFL level, and for the Orange County Otters for 10 seasons. He played college football for Columbia as a running back, fullback, and tight end.
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Early years
Leandre Souleymane Diarra was born in Paris to his parents Amidou Diarra and Mareme Diarra, both first-generation immigrants to France from Africa. His father was a Malian footballer who moved to France at age 20 to play for Olympique Lyonnais, while his mother had immigrated at a much younger age from Senegal. Leandre has a younger sister, Leonie, and a younger brother, Thibault.
Leandre was initially interested in following in his father's path as a professional soccer player and was enrolled in Olympique de Marseille's football academy at the age of 9. Despite initial promise and success as part of the club's Under-13 side, when Diarra was 16 Marseille informed him that he would not receive a scholarship to continue on with the club. Diarra began to pursue other athletic and intellectual pursuits, dedicating himself to his schoolwork and beginning to compete in other sports, including track and field (hammer throw, shot put, discus throw, and hurdles) and fencing.
College career
Leandre Diarra was accepted to Columbia University and received an athletic scholarship for Track & Field, where he competed mainly in the hammer throw and shotput events. He was interested in pursuing other sports and received permission to try out for the Columbia Lions football team, where he earned a roster spot at running back. In his four year football career with the Lions, he amassed 1,642 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns.
Diarra graduated in May 2049 with a degree in African American and African Diaspora Studies.
Track and Field
Diarra achieved moderate success in track and field during his time at Columbia. His best finish was 2nd place in hammer throw at the 2047 Ivy League Outdoor Track and Field Championships. That season, he also qualified for the 2047 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in hammer throw and shotput, though he failed to place top 8 in any events.
American Football
Despite never playing organized American football prior to attending Columbia, Diarra took to the game quickly. After making only 3 appearances in his freshman season, Diarra played in all 10 games in his sophomore season, totaling over 300 yards rushing and 100 receiving. Diarra made 5 starts at running back in his junior season and totaling the second highest rushing yards of any player on the team. In his senior season in 2049, new head coach Anders Hill had Diarra take some snaps at fullback and tight end to block for his fellow running backs. Diarra responded well to the new role and drew interest from DSFL scouts in these roles, despite his rushing yards suffering as a result.
Diarra declined to declare for the DSFL draft immediately after finishing his college football career, instead taking what he has referred to as a gap year to think through the decision and train further.
College career statistics
| Career statistics | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD |
| 2045 | Columbia | 3 | 9 | 34 | 3.8 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 2046 | Columbia | 10 | 73 | 317 | 4.3 | 34 | 5 | 22 | 178 | 8.1 | 23 | 1 |
| 2047 | Columbia | 10 | 147 | 756 | 5.1 | 26 | 7 | 31 | 229 | 7.4 | 42 | 1 |
| 2048 | Columbia | 10 | 113 | 535 | 4.7 | 19 | 3 | 37 | 322 | 8.7 | 28 | 0 |
DSFL Career
DSFL Waivers and DSFL Draft
Having taken a gap year after his final season at Columbia, Diarra declared for the DSFL draft in November 2049, making him eligible to be claimed on waivers as a temporary roster move and placing him in the draft eligible player pool for the following spring. The Minnesota Grey Ducks claimed Diarra off of waivers to end the 2049 (S34) DSFL season, and Diarra served mainly as the team's second tight end. The Grey Ducks with Diarra made the Ultimini that season but ultimately lost to the Dallas Birddogs.
In the DSFL draft, Diarra was taken in the 6th round by the London Royals. In interviews, Diarra said he was surprised to be drafted so early but was eager to prove himself to the team, and to have the opportunity to play football closer to his family in Europe.
London Royals
Diarra played primarily as fullback and backup running back for the London Royals in their 2050 season. In his first full season in the developmental league, Diarra established himself as a top ISFL prospect at the fullback position by leading all players at the position in rushing yards and yards per carry while securing the second most pancake blocks with no sacks allowed. The London Royals went 7-7, missing the playoffs by one game. Later in the season, Diarra became heavily involved in the rushing attack, setting a season high of 61 rushing yards on 8 carries against his former team Minnesota Grey Ducks in week 8.
DSFL Career Statistics
| Career statistics | Rushing | Receiving | Other | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2049 (S34) | Grey Ducks | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2.3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2050 (S35) | Royals | 14 | 52 | 255 | 4.9 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 2.5 | 7 | 3 | 32 | 0 |
| Career Totals | 2 Teams | 18 | 52 | 255 | 4.9 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 27 | 2.5 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 0 |
ISFL Career
In the Season 36 ISFL Draft, Leandre Diarra was selected in the 2nd round of the draft with the 24th overall pick by the Orange County Otters.
Diarra was an immediate call-up from the DSFL for Orange County. With the team moving former fullback Gus Bus to play at wide receiver, space opened up on the roster for Diarra to assume fullback duties. In his rookie season, he was given a variety of roles, mainly blocking from the fullback and tight end positions as well as taking some carries at RB to spell backfield mates Zane Cold and Goat Tank Jr.
Diarra faced growing pains in his rookie seeason in the ISFL, but generally led a successful campaign. His rushing yards and pancakes nearly matched those from his first full DSFL season, and although he allowed one sack he also scored his first two rushing touchdowns of his professional career in weeks 15 and 16 of the regular season. Diarra was named a 2nd team ISFL All-Pro following the season.
In the following offseason, the Orange County Otters brought in new management which changed the look of the offense. The team was further changed when the front office acquired quarterback Kaguya Shinomiya from the Philadelphia Liberty in a trade, whose athletic style of play augmented the Otters' rushing offense. While the team moved away from using heavy personnel packages involving a fullback, the Otters posted a league high 2,307 total rushing yards as a team in the 2052 season, and the coaching staff and other players credited Diarra for being a strong contributor to that accomplishment. Diarra also recorded 2 more rushing touchdowns.
Prior to the 2053 season, Leandre Diarra signed a contract extension worth $9 million dollars over three years, including mutual options for both the team and the player to opt out of the deal at any point. This deal made Diarra the highest paid active fullback in the league. In an interview, Diarra said that he was happy to commit to a team that had emphasized the run in its offensive approach and hoped to continue to demonstrate his value.
The Otters once again led the league in rushing attempts and yards in the 2053 season, with Leandre Diarra increasing his contributions to the team and to the run game in particular. The Otters continued to iterate on their offensive scheme to involve Diarra more, lining him up not only as fullback but also as an occasional spell running back, and a second tight end in heavy formations. Zane Cold, now serving as the workhorse back for the team with the departure of Goat Tank Jr., ran for a career high mark of over 1400 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. Diarra doubled his career total in pancakes, recording a total of 55 while allowing 0 sacks. Diarra also contributed moderately in the run game with over 100 yards and a score on the ground. Following the season, Leandre Diarra was unanimously named a 1st team ISFL All-Pro. This award was his second appearance on the ISFL All-Pro teams after an appearance on the 2nd team after his inaugural season in the major leagues.
In the 2054 ISFL season, Diarra solidified his place as a top fullback in the leauge as the team's run game posted another successful season, once again leading the league with almost 2500 yards at a >5 yards per carry clip. Diarra himself saw his role continue to evolve, seeing the most targets in the passing game since his senior season at Columbia and recording over 450 total yards from scrimmage. Diarra also recorded his first receiving touchdown for the Otters in week 14 against the Austin Copperheads before following it up with a second in week 16 against the Colorado Yeti. Diarra also smashed his previous bests for long plays from scrimmage with the receiving touchdown against Austin being a 52 yard scamper, following up on a 51 yard touchdown run against the Honolulu Hahalua earlier in the season and demonstrating some playmaking ability. For the second season in a row, Diarra was unanimously named a 1st team ISFL All-Pro.
In 2055, Diarra took on a slightly larger role in the offense, taking a larger role in the running back committee with Zane Cold and a larger target share in the passing offense. This increased usage led Diarra to set career highs in rushing attempts, rushing yards, targets, receiving yards, rushing touchdowns, and all-purpose touchdowns, although his efficiency decreased somewhat from the previous season as a result. Diarra also excelled as a blocker, setting all-time ISFL single-game and single-season records for pancake blocks for any player outside of the offensive line, recording 14 such blocks against the Austin Copperheads in week 3 and 85 over the course of the entire season. Diarra once again received an All-Pro 1st team selection, although not unanimous this time as some voters took issue with his varied usage in more offensive roles outside of just the fullback position. The Otters made the playoffs for the first time in Diarra's career, including a win against the Copperheads in the divisional round before losing to the Arizona Outlaws in the conference championship.
In 2056, Diarra's use at RB dropped with the addition of rookie RB Tyler One to the roster. Diarra once again resumed lining up primarily at fullback and tight end in heavy formations in the Otters' run heavy offense, although altered by the addition of free agent quarterback Adrian St. Christmas. Diarra carried the ball just 23 times, tied for the lowest in his career, and recorded 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Diarra was a much larger factor in the receiving game than he had been in similar roles in the past, however, catching 47 passes for 289 yards, both the second highest marks of his career after the season prior, as well as a single touchdown. Diarra once again demonstrated his dominance in the blocking game, with 80 pancake blocks recorded, just shy of the 85 pancake mark posted in 2055. Although Diarra was once again awarded unanimous first team All Pro honors in the postseason, no second team fullback was named due to the shortage of talent at the position in the ISFL. After the season, Diarra was approached by the Otters' coaching staff about the possibility of assuming more snaps at running back and easing out of the fullback role that he had played since college. Diarra's following postseason was spent following intense diet and practice regimens to prepare for the new role in the offense. He also signed a three-year extension for $5,000,000 per year, marking his newfound role for the team.
From 2057 to 2059, Diarra shifted his role on the Otters and served as the team's primary running back for all three seasons. In 2057 and 2058, Diarra took the vast majority of snaps as Orange County's ballcarrier and responded well to the new role, surpassing 1,300 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in both seasons with an efficient 5.1 yards per carry rushing average. In 2058, Diarra had the 2nd most rushing yards of any player in the ISFL. Diarra was named to the Pro Bowl in both seasons. In 2059, Diarra's role was reduced as the team took a more pass heavy approach. Backfield mate Reginald Shrubbery took roughly the same amount of carries as the previous season, but with the Otters' overall rushing attempts dropping from 424 in 2058 to just 296 in 2059, Diarra saw his workload reduce substantially. While Diarra was similarly efficient, posting 5.2 yards per carry on his limited number of rushing attempts, it came out after the season that a significant factor in Diarra's reduced workload was his age catching up to him. Now 33 years old, Diarra's body and stamina were simply not capable of withstanding the heavy workload of the previous two seasons.
After the 2059 season, the Otters coaching staff and Diarra deliberated on his continuing role with the team. With Shrubbery entering his prime years and Diarra starting to show and feel his age, the decision was made for Diarra to transition back to the team's primary fullback, due to the less stress that the role would place on his body and his familiarity with the position from earlier in his career. In his return to the position, Diarra had a strong season, recording 67 pancake blocks and allowing zero sacks. While Diarra did not contribute as much as a ballcarrier as in previous seasons, he did record a 50 yard rush on the Otters' opening drive in the week 12 against the San Jose Sabercats. Diarra was named as both a first team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler at the end of the season. His blocking paved the way for ascendant ball carrier Reginald Shrubbery to have a breakthrough season, recording over 1,200 rushing yards and 10 TDs and named as a Pro Bowler himself.
ISFL Career Statistics
| Career statistics | Rushing | Receiving | Other | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Att | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | Lg | TD | Pancakes | Sacks Allowed |
| 2051 (S36) | Otters | 16 | 68 | 254 | 3.7 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 4.8 | 13 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2052 (S37) | Otters | 16 | 23 | 74 | 3.2 | 14 | 2 | 9 | 48 | 5.3 | 15 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| 2053 (S38) | Otters | 16 | 29 | 126 | 4.3 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 44 | 4.9 | 11 | 0 | 55 | 0 |
| 2054 (S39) | Otters | 16 | 36 | 198 | 5.5 | 51 | 1 | 37 | 282 | 7.6 | 52 | 2 | 64 | 1 |
| 2055 (S40) | Otters | 16 | 74 | 293 | 4.0 | 19 | 3 | 51 | 359 | 7.0 | 30 | 1 | 85 | 0 |
| 2056 (S41) | Otters | 16 | 23 | 110 | 4.8 | 17 | 2 | 47 | 289 | 6.1 | 36 | 1 | 80 | 0 |
| 2057 (S42) | Otters | 16 | 273 | 1,384 | 5.1 | 55 | 12 | 47 | 511 | 10.9 | 57 | 1 | 54 | 3 |
| 2058 (S43) | Otters | 16 | 288 | 1,463 | 5.1 | 61 | 6 | 56 | 525 | 9.4 | 44 | 4 | 33 | 2 |
| 2059 (S44) | Otters | 16 | 156 | 814 | 5.2 | 48 | 8 | 36 | 301 | 8.4 | 20 | 1 | 63 | 0 |
| 2060 (S45) | Otters | 16 | 9 | 69 | 7.7 | 50 | 0 | 25 | 96 | 3.8 | 12 | 0 | 67 | 0 |
| Career Totals | Otters | 160 | 979 | 4,785 | 4.9 | 61 | 37 | 323 | 2,484 | 7.7 | 57 | 10 | 555 | 7 |
Personal life
Diarra volunteers regularly with organizations in the Orange County area, including the Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity. Diarra is also involved in the Diarra Foundation in France, started by his father during his professional soccer career as a charity that provides tutoring and financial support to immigrant families.
