Jalen McLeod

Last updated
Jalen McLeod
Auburn Tigers–No. 35
Position Linebacker
ClassSenior
Personal information
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight236 lb (107 kg)
Career history
College Appalachian State (2020–2022)
Auburn (2023–present)
Bowl games
High school Friendship Collegiate Academy
(Washington, D.C.)

Jalen McLeod is an American football linebacker for the Auburn Tigers. He previously played for the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Contents

Early life

McLeod attended Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C., where he was an honorable mention all-metro selection after making 60 tackles and 10 sacks as a senior; he helped the team to the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association championship in both 2018 and 2019. [1] An outside linebacker, he was ranked a three-star prospect, the 1,640th-best player nationally and the 68th-best recruit at his position by 247Sports. [2] He received relatively little attention as a recruit – having no offers from Power Five teams – and committed to play college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers, one of only two NCAA Division I FBS programs to give an offer. [3]

College career

McLeod appeared in five games, one as a starter, as a true freshman in 2020, posting nine tackles and two sacks. [4] He then played in all 14 games in 2021 and recorded 26 tackles, a sack, and three tackles-for-loss (TFLs). [4] As a junior in 2022, he posted 41 tackles, six sacks, 7.5 TFLs and two forced fumbles, with both of his forced fumbles coming in an upset win over Texas A&M. [5] He was selected third-team All-Sun Belt Conference (SBC) for his 2022 performance. [6]

McLeod opted to transfer following the 2022 season, concluding his stint with the Mountaineers having made 76 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and three forced fumbles in 30 games played. [7] He ended up transferring to the Auburn Tigers for the 2023 season. [8] With the Tigers that year, he totaled 50 tackles, 10.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks. [9] As a senior in 2024, he recorded 57 tackles and a team-leading 14 TFLs and eight sacks. [10] He was invited to the 2025 Senior Bowl. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karlos Dansby</span> American football player (born 1981)

Karlos Montez Dansby is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn Tigers and received All-American recognition. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, and has also played for the Miami Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

William Dexter Coakley is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football in Division I-AA for the Appalachian State Mountaineers, and was selected in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Coakley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, making him Appalachian State's first inductee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah Ratliff</span> American football player (born 1981)

Jeremiah Jerome Ratliff, formerly known as Jay Ratliff, is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Hillenmeyer</span> American football player (born 1980)

Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL draft and played for the Chicago Bears from 2003 to 2010. Hillenmeyer attended high school at Montgomery Bell Academy and played college football at Vanderbilt University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Hunter (American football)</span> American football player (born 1983)

Jason Terrell Hunter is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers before being signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2006.

Shawn Crable is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft.

Tray Blackmon is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuben Foster</span> American football player (born 1994)

Reuben Foster is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. A consensus All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to Alabama, where he played from 2013 to 2016. In his final season there he was awarded the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation's best linebacker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Tuggle</span> American gridiron football player (born 1990)

Justin DuJian Tuggle is an American former professional football linebacker. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at Kansas State. Tuggle is the son of former five-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jessie Tuggle. He is also the brother of Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.

Marvin Dale Jones is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for Appalachian State. He served in various capacities for Appalachian State (1996–2022), including three years as defensive coordinator (2010–2012). Jones previously worked as a defensive coordinator for Georgia Military College (1992–1996) and the Parma Panthers (1990) of the Italian Football League (IFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. J. Edwards</span> American football player (born 1996)

T. J. Edwards is an American professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalen Reeves-Maybin</span> American football player (born 1995)

Jalen Ahmad Reeves-Maybin is an American professional football linebacker and special teamer for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. He was selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. Reeves-Maybin has served as president of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) since 2024.

Colin Schooler is an American football linebacker for the Firenze Guelfi of the Italian Football League (IFL). He went to Texas Tech University, where he played for the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team after his tenure as an anchor on defense at the University of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anfernee Jennings</span> American football player (born 1997)

Anfernee Jennings is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K'Lavon Chaisson</span> American football player (born 1999)

K'Lavon Chaisson is an American professional football linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Daniel Thomas is an American professional football safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kennan Gilchrist</span> American gridiron football player (born 1994)

Kennan Gilchrist is a former Canadian football linebacker in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts. He also was a member of the Houston Texans in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Appalachian State University.

D'Marco Carnelius Jackson is an American professional football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Appalachian State.

Marcus Harris is an American professional football defensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks and the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Houston Texans in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Shane Lee is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He previously played college football at Alabama and USC.

References

  1. ↑ "Jalen McLeod". Auburn Tigers.
  2. ↑ Silva, Richard (May 2, 2023). "Appalachian State transfer pass rusher Jalen McLeod commits to Auburn football". The Montgomery Advertiser .
  3. ↑ Cohen, Matt (August 14, 2023). "Jalen McLeod was very particular in the portal. Auburn provided exactly what he wanted". AL.com .
  4. 1 2 "Jalen McLeod". Appalachian State Mountaineers.
  5. ↑ Cohen, Matt (November 9, 2023). "How Auburn's Jalen McLeod rose from undersized to a vital pass rusher". AL.com .
  6. ↑ Silva, Richard (November 14, 2023). "Auburn football's Jalen McLeod is finally healthy, and that's bad news for opposing QBs". The Montgomery Advertiser .
  7. ↑ Lee, Ainslie (July 24, 2023). "Year one on The Plains: Meet Auburn's transfer Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod". AL.com .
  8. ↑ Lee, Justin (August 15, 2023). "Auburn's head-turning Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod has already made his impact on the SEC". Opelika-Auburn News .
  9. ↑ Biggs, Terrance (July 13, 2024). "Auburn Tigers Undersized Edge Plays Oversized Role". Sports Illustrated .
  10. 1 2 Stephenson, Creg (December 2, 2024). "Auburn's Jalen McLeod headed to 2025 Senior Bowl". AL.com .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.