AUBURN | Auburn’s defense improved in a lot of ways between Week 1 and Week 2.

A notable difference came in personnel with Jack linebacker Jalen McLeod returning from an ankle injury to start his first-career game with the Tigers.

“Jalen McLeod makes us different when he's playing,” said AU coach Hugh Freeze. “I think he's probably 85 percent. I'd like to get him to 100 percent. Then I think he really gives us a boost. At 85 percent, he's made us better.

“He's strong at the point of attack, quick twitch, can rush the passer. I don't think he got a sack the other night but he's different than what we've been presenting. He helps us all the way around.”

McLeod, who transferred from Appalachian State in May, finished with three tackles. PFF also credited him with two quarterback hurries.

“It's definitely exciting, getting to see him out there,” said defensive back Keionte Scott. “He's going to be a great part of our defense, a great asset. Just seeing him be able to go out there on half an ankle and be able to still produce, it's gonna be crazy to see him at 100 percent.”

McLeod, 6-foot-1 and 237 pounds, is already regarded as one of Auburn’s best pass rushers, maybe the best at a position that includes four newcomers. He finished his Appalachian State career with 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks.

His enthusiasm and work ethic have also helped him become a leader on defense in just the four months he’s been at Auburn.

“He brings energy. He brings intensity. He’s really a fun guy to be around,” said linebacker Eugene Asante. “He’s from Washington D.C. and I’m from Alexandria, Va. So he’s like 15 minutes from where I’m from so we kinda got that connection. He’s one of those guys that’s like a spark plug on a defense. He gets guys going in terms of his motor. Seeing him at practice, the biggest thing is it makes me go harder because I’m like, ‘Man, this dude J-Mac is behind me and he’s bursting past people to get to the football.’ So I’m like I’ve got to bring that intensity and that level of competitiveness.

“That’s the standard for our defense. So he sets a different standard in terms of his competitiveness, his pass-rush ability. He’s elite. We’ve seen that on the big stage from when he was at App State. So he’s just a complete football player. He’s intentional about his work. He details his work and he’s just truly somebody I can admire.”

Auburn (2-0) hosts Samford Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT on SECN+/ESPN+.