Auburn's 2023 Position Battles: Jack linebacker

Who will Auburn start at Jack in 2023?
Auburn's 2023 Position Battles: Jack linebacker
Auburn's 2023 Position Battles: Jack linebacker /
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Auburn fans became accustomed to seeing Derick Hall and Eku Leota at EDGE over the last two seasons. With their departures and a new defensive scheme, Auburn's EDGE position will look a little different. 

Under new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts, the position group will now be labeled as Jack linebackers and will be asked to do more than just primarily rush the passer. They'll need to drop in coverage, set containment, as well as pursue opposing quarterbacks this season.

The room will look vastly different. With Hall and Leota gone, Marcus Bragg running out of eligibility, and Dylan Brooks transferring, Auburn returns no production at the position outside of Jayden Brice's two snaps in 2022.

Auburn went out and added several pieces via the portal in Vanderbilt's Elijah McAllister, Liberty's Stephen Sings, and App State's Jalen McLeod. We also saw the prize of the 2023 class, Keldric Faulk, play Jack in the spring but there's been a lot of talk about him playing more defensive end this season due to positional needs.

Let's look at who could start at Jack for Auburn this season.

The case for Elijah McAllister

Elijah McAllister
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

Many expect the former Vanderbilt standout to start for the Tigers and it's a pretty easy case to make. He and Faulk appeared to play the most at the starting Jack spot this spring and he probably has the highest floor among all of the players in the room.

He is not elite at stopping the run or rushing the passer but he can do both at an SEC level. We've seen him do it at Vanderbilt. There's a chance in a situation where the athletes around him are better, he could excel more this year in the SEC West. 

My prediction is that McAllister starts and plays the early downs for the Tigers but is asked to step to the side when the defense has the opposing team in key passing situations.

The case for Jalen McLeod

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

McLeod's ability to rush the passer may allow him to lead the team in sacks and pressures this season. Roberts' scheme is famous for helping defenders create chaos and havoc against opposing offenses. If McLeod is able to reap the benefits from some of that scheme and face mismatches at the end of the line of scrimmage, he could be a huge part of what Auburn does at the Jack position this fall.

While I believe his role will be large, I don't think he starts. I think he will be the go-to guy when it comes to generating pressure and will often replace McAllister in passing situations this fall.

The case for anyone else on the roster

Keldric Faulk
Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

The next guy in the pecking order is Keldric Faulk. The more folks I talk to within the program, the more I believe he will play both Jack and defensive end but after the second transfer window, it seems like he will be asked to play more end than anywhere else this fall.

If asked, Faulk could play and exceed in several position groups on the defensive line.

Stephen Sings transferred from Liberty so he knows what head coach Hugh Freeze and defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett want from him. Sings will more than likely be a rotational piece this season and could contribute at a high level but I don't see him getting more reps than anyone else we've mentioned here.

Auburn's past rush will be crucial this season as it reloads at the position group and will need to again this offseason as the position group is still filled with veteran players.

In Freeze's first season, he's done a great job building the Jack linebacker room on paper. In the fall, we will get to see how it translates to the field.

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Zac Blackerby
ZAC BLACKERBY

Zac Blackerby is the publisher of Auburn Daily and Braves Today. He is also the host of Locked On Auburn and the College Channel Manager for the Locked On Podcast Network. Blackerby was previously the program director of the Auburn Network and hosted shows on ESPN 106.7 and WANI. He also used to be the editor for Auburn Wire and Fly War Eagle.