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Antoine Deslauriers doesn’t talk much about that picture. Not an avid social media user, Deslauriers ignores the hype surrounding the photo.

The same can’t be said for others.

In May 2024, Deslauriers had a photoshoot during his official visit to Syracuse, two months after his commitment. He was pictured standing next to Fran Brown with a Mercedes-Benz G-Class in the background, eliciting viral reactions on social media.

The near-$200,000 car didn’t steal the spotlight. Deslauriers did. His biceps bulged out of his shoulder pads, while his quads made his pants seem like they were on the verge of ripping.

“He looks like a Greek god,” said Deslauriers’ personal trainer Yohan Miron. “There’s a ton of people who think he’s a Madden-created player.”

Prominent social media accounts like MaxPreps and Rivals.com reposted Deslauriers’ photo, gaining tens of thousands of likes each. Commenters labeled Deslauriers a “hulk-like figure,” others thought the photo was AI, while some even suggested he was on steroids.

Not Deslauriers. The Montréal, Quebec native said he bulked up through constant training sessions with Miron and a strict eating schedule during high school. His consistency in the gym and instincts as a linebacker made him a sought-after three-star recruit, earning numerous Power Four offers. He chose SU, and in his first season, Deslauriers has emerged as a bright spot on a porous defense.

Deslauriers’ body transformation started when his mother, Yannie Methot, stumbled upon Miron — the head of F1rst team performance — while searching for Montréal’s best personal trainers. She asked Miron if he’d train Deslauriers, giving him the stereotypical spiel about her son being “special.” Miron questioned the pitch, but invited him to a speed and agility session with a couple dozen local high school and college players.

Miron was impressed with Deslauriers’ performance and attitude. Instead of mingling during breaks, Deslauriers remained stoic. He was all business, showcasing his raw talent during drills. Miron instantly wanted him in his program.

Miron said he never saw someone with Deslauriers’ mindset at his age. The linebacker demanded perfection, constantly asking questions and “acting like a pro” from the start.

“I’ve always compared myself to college players, even when I was 15 years old,” Deslauriers said. “That was my standard, and that’s where I got my competition.”

Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer

Miron’s plan included training in specific phases and building muscle at the right time. Gym sessions occurred every weekend, while Deslauriers attended his high school, Collège Laval, during the week in the fall.

From the start, Deslauriers was committed, Miron said. Deslauriers became infatuated with the gym, adding at least 20 pounds every year. Sometimes, Miron had to tell his pupil less was sometimes better, which Deslauriers fought initially, before giving in.

“That kid can live in the gym,” Miron said. “We would have to tell him to (not) do more. If I wasn’t there, he would probably be going to the gym 10 times a week.”

Still, Miron said Deslauriers was never the most overpowering person in the gym. He was just the most consistent, along with having the proper diet.

Miron explained some athletes plateau because they don’t stay disciplined, but Deslauriers stayed clean. Cheat meals were foreign to him. His mother fostered a healthy household by not giving him sugar, often cooking fish, chicken, other meat and vegetables.

After meeting Miron, Deslauriers assumed cooking responsibilities for himself. Methot said he prepped his meals for the week every Sunday.

Deslauriers weighed his food before each meal to make sure he ate the correct portion sizes. His calorie intake ranged anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 calories per day over the course of three years. Miron wanted Deslauriers to stay mobile as a linebacker to ensure he never went over 225 pounds. Miron sometimes cut that to around 2,500 calories.

It took until Deslauriers’ second year with Miron to eat junk food. Miron laughed as he remembered the linebacker sending him a photo with half a donut and a scoop of ice cream.

Deslauriers’ steady diet never curtailed his progress. He began building muscle during the first and second year of training, and by the third year, he looked like a grown adult, gaining his current muscular physique, according to Miron.

“We had to buy new clothes for him every six months,” Methot said.

When Deslauriers was 17, he wanted to take the next step in his football career. That meant coming to the United States to earn opportunities to play in college. In 2022, he met Nathaniel Thomas, the president of Vantage Sports Agency. Thomas, along with Miron, helped spread his tape online, eventually gaining the attention of Derek White, the head coach at the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia.

White watched Deslauriers “knock the piss out of people” on film. In December 2023, White flew to Montréal for a weekend to meet Deslauriers and see if the tape was legit. A basic field workout provided White with his answer.

“I saw what I thought I saw in person, and it just put an exclamation point on it,” White said.

Deslauriers’ combination of size and speed impressed White. They talked about him attending Rabun Gap, and in March 2022, he agreed.

At that time, Deslauriers didn’t have any college offers. Then, White started showing coaches Deslauriers’ highlights, and scholarships flooded in. Once the fall hit, White recalled Deslauriers being curious about what the schools were actually offering. Was it a chance? A tryout?

White told the then-17-year-old that colleges were offering him full scholarships.

Deslauriers’ approach didn’t change at Rabun Gap. In the dining hall, White always saw multiple chicken breasts on Deslauriers’ plate or 10 eggs for breakfast, without any fried food. During nightly study hall, he had a protein shake next to him and took vitamins.

The only times White saw Deslauriers be slightly unhealthy were before games, where he’d consume Skittles and Sour Patch Kids to “give him some juice.”

“The way he played, you let him do whatever he wants to if he feels like it works for him,” White said.

Already a freak athlete, Deslauriers wanted to hammer home the football fundamentals, per White. There was a slight adjustment period to playing in America for the first time, but it didn’t take long for Deslauriers to acclimate. White often found Deslauriers studying in the film room, whether it was with him or defensive coordinator Joseph Crosby.

“He got to the point where he was like a coach. He had formation recognition, down and distance recognition, stuff that people like to do in certain situations,” White said. “It made him play even faster. And when he saw those keys off tape, he knew exactly what the play was.”

Deslauriers’ football instincts only made him more potent as a linebacker, considering he was already built like a Mack truck. White said Deslauriers “played with his hair on fire” and dealt punishing blows to opponents.

Antoine Deslauriers gets fired up in Syracuse’s win over UConn on Sept. 6. The freshman linebacker ranks third on Syracuse with 26 total tackles through six games. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

While preparing to play John Curtis Christian School (Louisiana) in the Caesars Superdome, White emphasized staying home against its option plays. On one play, Curtis’ quarterback kept the ball, and Deslauriers delivered one of the biggest hits White has ever seen.

Those hits were commonplace for Deslauriers. White said he was the best linebacker in the country and could contribute as a freshman wherever he went.

That’s why coming to Syracuse was so appealing. Miron remembers sitting down with Thomas and Deslauriers in Brown’s office during his official visit. Brown’s plan was more concrete than pitches from other programs, and the same message that he could play immediately was echoed by linebackers coach Robert Wright and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson.

After enrolling in the winter, Deslauriers solidified himself as Syracuse’s starting Mike linebacker during fall training camp.

Though Syracuse’s defense is statistically the worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference, allowing over 448 yards per game, Deslauriers remains a bright spot. Through six contests, he’s received a 79.0 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, forcing two fumbles in Syracuse’s win over Clemson and recording two pass deflections to seal its overtime victory over UConn.

The Orange’s defense is still young, but with Deslauriers at the center, they have a cornerstone for the foreseeable future.

“He’s very focused in the sense that he wants to be the best,” Thomas said. “He would never walk around saying he’s the best. But he’s so driven at the same time.”

Published on October 8, 2025 at 10:18 pm
Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22