Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.
Up next is transfer jack linebacker [autotag]Jalen McLeod[/autotag]. He is looking to become the pass-rusher that Auburn needs.
Preseason Player Profile
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
Height: 6-1
Weight: 237
Previous School: App State
Class in 2023: Junior
247Sports Composite Ranking
Three-Star / No. 13 in D.C. / No. 68 ILB
Career Stats
| Year | G | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | PDs | FFs |
| 2020 (App State) | 4 | 9 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 (App State) | 12 | 26 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2022 (App State) | 11 | 41 | 7.5 | 6.0 | 1 | 2 |
PFF Grades
| Year | Defense | Tackling | Run Defense | Pass Rush | Coverage |
| 2020 | 67.7 | 81.2 | 57.3 | 71.8 | 64.4 |
| 2021 | 74.2 | 87.8 | 66.3 | 71.2 | 83.1 |
| 2022 | 86.6 | 61.4 | 76.8 | 90.7 | 64.7 |
Depth Chart Overview
With Auburn losing its entire edge room after last season the pressure was on to go out and land several transfers who could make an immediate impact and the coaching staff did that with the additions of McLeod, [autotag]Elijah McAllister[/autotag] and [autotag]Stephen Sings V[/autotag]. McLeod is probably undersized to play every down, but he has the ability to be a pass-rushing specialist.
It is quite a jump off from the Sun Belt to the SEC but he had his best game of the season last year against Texas A&M, making 2.0 sacks and three total tackles.
While McAllister and the other jack linebackers will see plenty of action to help stop the run, McLeod looks like Auburn’s top pass-rusher and should be on the field on passing downs.
Jalen McLeod’s Photo Gallery