Jalen McLeod has 'mindset on pro', working on speed and power rushing
AUBURN – Jalen Mcleod, a former edge transfer from Appalachian State, is taking on a veteran role for Auburn’s front seven.
“I feel like I am a leader, which I am,” McLeod said. “I feel good to be back on the field after the bowl game.”
McLeod said he contemplated going pro, but decided it was best to come back. Having said that, his entire mindset revolves around making it to the next level.
“Yes sir, everything I do, my mind set is on pro–how can I be a better player every day,” McLeod said. “So, that’s the end goal after Auburn is going pro.”
What is he working on the most this offseason?
“Counter rushing,” McLeod said. “Everybody knows I am a speed rusher, so I have to work on speed to power. Countering with my speed doesn’t work. That’s the main thing.”
“And, getting sacks on first and second down. A lot of people get sacks on third down, but when you want big numbers, you have to get sacks on first and second down.”
As far as the defense, terminology is similar to how it was a year ago.
“Nothing has really changed, it’s still a little slanting like the last defensive coordinator,” McLeod said. “So it isn’t really different, more four-down, more hands on. It’s not really hard for us to learn something new.”
McLeod on new faces
McLeod is impressed with the young guys that he has been working with. Each one of them are up to the task in his opinion.
“They’re hungry, that’s the main thing. That’s the first sign you want to see out of them,” McLeod said. “Young guys, when they’re hungry, they want to be coachable and listen. Jamonta (Waller), Amaris (Williams), TJ (Lindsey), Brenton (Williams), all of them are coachable and they listen. They’re hungry. They’re asking me and Keldric (Faulk)–he’s still young but has that experience–how can I do this, how does this look. Stuff like that is what you want to hear out of young players.”
McLeod is particularly high on freshman edge Jamonta Waller.
“He’s a pass rusher, he’s a natural pass rusher,” McLeod said of Waller. “Talent-wise, this is one of the better guys I have seen, he has a knack for pass rushing. He might be a little raw right now because he just came out of high school, but the stuff he does with no training–he did a spin like that it looked like a Dwight Freeney type spin. He’s so talented.”
“That young group that is with us on the edge, they’re all talented.”
What is the biggest difference in playing the SEC versus the Sun Belt?
“I would say the timing, when the ball comes out of the QB’s hands,” McLeod said. “The QB’s know where to go with it. If it’s not there, they know the next read. Compared to the Sun Belt, if the first read is not there, it’s easier to get a sack. And, the size of the tackles. Everything else I feel like is the same.”
McLeod also loves what he sees from Mississippi State offensive tackle transfer Percy Lewis.
“He’s going to help us a lot because of his size,” McLeod said. “The size he has and how athletic he is and can move his feet. We’re going to face some bigger tackles, he is bigger than Bama’s tackles and more athletic than them. So he will help a lot on that blindside.”
