Auburn football Jack LB: ‘We’ve got to earn our respect back’

This weekend, the Auburn football team will open conference play from College Station, where they will take on the Texas A&M Aggies. It will be the Tigers’ second road trip of the season, but a much shorter trip than the one to Berkeley.

Head coach Hugh Freeze knows that SEC play will be the true test of his undefeated team, one that was cobbled together over the offseason after Freeze was hired in late November of 2022. The Tigers know walking into College Station and winning against A&M’s talented roster won’t be easy, but they’re ready for the challenge.

For one defensive player, the matchup with the Aggies has extra meaning. Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod transferred to the Plains ahead of the 2023 season from App State, a program that went into College Station last season and beat the Aggies—who were ranked #6 in the country at the time.

McLeod racked up two sacks and two forced fumbles during that contest, and he is determined to repeat his strong performance this weekend to prove he isn’t a “one-trick pony.” Now that the Tigers are entering conference play, McLeod believes the whole team has something to prove, per Auburn Undercover:

"“I feel like these next couple weeks coming up with all the 5-stars and big names around these schools that we’re about to play, we’ve got a chip on our shoulder,” McLeod said. “We’ve got to earn our respect back.”"

The Jack LB missed Auburn football’s season opener against UMass and only played part of the game against Samford last weekend while dealing with an ankle injury. Freeze called McLeod the team’s “best pass-rusher” and notes that the Tigers’ defense has missed having him play to his full ability. McLeod noted he’s working to get his ankle to 100 percent this week as the team prepares for SEC ball.