7.4.23 Football Articles

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247sports.com

Most Valuable Tigers No 16

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

We're still in the heart of the college football offseason, more than two months removed from spring practice, media days later this month, and more than two months until the start of the 2023 season, Auburn’s first under Hugh Freeze.

So what better time to crank up the rankings? As we do annually this time of year, Auburn Undercover is counting down the top 25 most valuable players for the Tigers' 2023 season.

A few notes to set the table: These rankings are based on a player's previous contributions to the team, as well as his assumed impact in 2023 — how important he is expected to be to Auburn's success in both production and the win-loss column.

It is not simply Auburn's best players in descending order. If a freshman is included on the list, his positioning is obviously a projection of his talent and significance to his respective position group.

Next up is No. 16: App State transfer pass-rusher Jalen McLeod.

AS A RECRUIT

Hometown: Washington, D.C.

Class: 2020

247Sports ranking: No. 68 ILB, No. 1,640 nationally

AS A PLAYER

(App State Athletics)

McLeod instantly began impacting App State’s defense as a true freshman during the COVID-impact season in 2020, logging a couple sacks and a forced fumble. He continued settling into a larger role over the next two years, culminating with an All-Sun Belt campaign last year.

In 2022, he finished second on the team in both tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (six), and also recorded two strip-sacks and a fumble recovery.

Some of his best performances last season came on the biggest stages, too. In App State’s historic upset at No. 5 Texas A&M in September, McLeod not only sacked Aggies QB Haynes King twice, but he forced two fumbles on the same play — first stripping King, then swiping the ball from the offensive lineman who picked it up, as App State ultimately scooped it up for a turnover. McLeod also had 1.5 sacks in the Mountaineers’ narrow loss at Coastal Carolina in November.

McLeod was Auburn’s first transfer pickup following spring practice, and the Tigers’ staff made an emphasis to grab a quality transfer at a tremendous position of need.

2023 OUTLOOK

The Tigers have been thin at their pass-rusher spot for the better part of the past two seasons, and were again searching this offseason. Starters Derick Hall and Eku Leota departed for the NFL, and former top-100 recruit Dylan Brooks entered the portal following spring practice.

That left only Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, along with true freshmen Keldric Faulk — the top-rated signee in Auburn’s 2023 class — and 3-star freshman Brenton Williams. McLeod’s recent production is a welcome addition for new coordinator Ron Roberts’ “jack” linebacker spot, considering McAllister was the only player in the room with any college experience — and his last sack came in 2019.

At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, McLeod fits the bill of an outside linebacker who thrives as a pass-rusher but can also slide back if need be. He played 31.3 percent of his snaps last season off the line of scrimmage as a box linebacker.

By games played, McAllister is still the most experienced player in the room, though McLeod was far more productive at his previous program. Neither present the kind of raw talent that Faulk has — a former top-75 overall recruit who had a standout spring as an early enrollee with the team. But Auburn’s coaches reiterated in the spring that they weren’t going to put too much pressure on Faulk to produce too quickly. The addition of McLeod is a nice solution right away, though down the line he still has two years of eligibility remaining.

Whereas McAlliser and Faulk are much larger defenders and can flex to a defensive end spot, McLeod is a nimble and explosive pass-rusher who should be heavily utilized by Roberts in third-down packages.

WHAT THEY SAID

“Incredible pass-rusher, which we need desperately, and toughness. Plays the game hard, high motor. Really excited by Jalen.” — Freeze

WHAT SAY YOU?

What do you think of McLeod’s spot in our Most Valuable Tigers rankings? Too high? Too low? Just right? Share your thoughts on the Bodda Getta message board, on Twitter or on Facebook.

MOST VALUABLE TIGERS

No. 25: LB Cam Riley

No. 24: DL Mosiah Nasili-Kite

No. 23: LB Larry Nixon III

No. 22: S Zion Puckett

No. 21: K Alex McPherson

No. 20: LB Austin Keys

No. 19: WR Camden Brown

No. 18: WR Shane Hooks

No. 17 P Oscar Chapman

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247sports.com

 

Jason Caldwells Monday morning quarterback column

Jason Caldwell

3–4 minutes

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A BIG Big Cat

There’s no doubt about it. More names will be added to the list in the coming days and weeks, but the list that Hugh Freeze and his staff are assembling for Big Cat later this month is beyond impressive. On Sunday, 5-star Alabama commitment Perry Thompson announced his intentions to be in Auburn that weekend.

It continues to show the fruit of what this staff has done since they arrived on campus, focus hard on recruiting the State of Alabama and making those players a priority. Thompson, Cam Coleman, Joseph Phillips, A’Mon Lane, J’Marion Burnette, Jayden Lewis, Bradley Shaw, Bryce Cain and others have been made a priority in the 2024 class. They’ve done the same in 2025 with guys like Zion Grady, Malik Autry, Jakaleb Faulk, CJ May and others all saying they’ll be back in Auburn in late July.

If you’re going to win and win big at Auburn, the first thing you’ve got to do is get your share of players from inside the border. That’s something this staff recognized early and they’re focused on doing something about it.

Quarterback thoughts

This is always the time of year when my mind begins to really get back to football. Once you pass the July 4th timeline, college football is just around the corner. For this Auburn team that means what I believe is going to be a serious quarterback battle in August.

As I mentioned in my quarterback preview last week, the addition of Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne has taken things to another level for the Auburn quarterbacks this summer. You never know how that will translate onto the field when the team comes together and the offense is playing as a unit, but in terms of just the quarterback position, I think this group is going to take some major strides from last year.

Thorne is a professional. That’s what I have been told and just being around him a few times this summer, I can see the maturity and veteran leadership that I have heard about. That’s a good start to doing what he needs to do, but the ultimate determination will come when the Tigers put on the pads in August.

Thorne’s arrival has definitely given Robby Ashford and Holden Geriner a boost in terms of pushing them to improve every part of their games. When the new coaching staff arrived it increased the level of competition immensely during the spring, but there’s nothing like adding a transfer to make it even stronger.

That happened at several other positions as well, but the addition of Thorne is one that is going to pay dividends for this team no matter what happens with the quarterback competition in August.

A shooter

I was talking with someone that has been around some basketball practices this past week and to say that newcomer Aden Holloway has been impressive would be an understatement. He’s a player that has put on some impressive displays since he arrived on campus and recently he made around 80 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line in a shooting workout. Now, those aren’t coming with defenders in his face or after running up and down the court playing defense, but shooting at that high of a clip is a great sign for the newcomer. If he can deliver a deadly stroke from the perimeter to go along with the return of big guys like Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams, it should put Auburn in a good spot next season.

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