Auburn’s first post-spring transfer addition is one that addresses a key need for Hugh Freeze’s team.

Former Appalachian State edge rusher Jalen McLeod, an All-Sun Belt honorable mention selection last season, committed to Auburn on Tuesday afternoon. McLeod’s commitment comes less than a week after he entered the transfer portal and on the heels of a weekend visit to the Plains to check out the Tigers’ program.

Read more Auburn football: Road to the Pros: Seattle Seahawks make Derick Hall’s NFL dream a reality in second round

Former Auburn wide receiver flips from Cincinnati to join Deion Sanders at Colorado

Auburn still in search of “no-brainer” quarterback target in transfer portal

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound outside linebacker is a former three-star prospect who spent the last three seasons with the Mountaineers after signing with the program as part of its 2020 recruiting class. Last season, McLeod was second on App State in tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (six) while finishing his redshirt sophomore campaign with 41 total tackles, nine quarterback hurries, a pair of forced fumbles and a pass deflection.

McLeod hit the portal last Thursday, and Auburn moved quickly to add him to its 2023 roster, as the Tigers wanted to prioritize adding more pass-rushers to its new-look Jack linebacker room. Auburn lost each of its top-three pass-rushers from last season, including its top two off the edge as Derick Hall (Seattle Seahawks), Eku Leota (Carolina Panthers) and Colby Wooden (Green Bay Packers) all left for the NFL. Hall was a second-round selection in last weekend’s draft, while Wooden went in the fifth round and Leota signed as a priority free agent after going undrafted.

With Hall and Leota, who combined for 25 sacks the last two seasons, off to the pros, Auburn sought to reload its edge-rusher depth heading into Freeze’s first year at the helm. The Tigers returned only one scholarship player at the position this spring (Dylan Brooks) and added three new pieces in Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister, four-star freshman Keldric Faulk and three-star freshman Brenton Williams. McAllister, a two-time captain with the Commodores and an SEC veteran, received most of the first-team reps during the spring, while Faulk quickly turned heads and has the look of an instant-impact freshman. He also received some first-team reps this spring, including on A-Day. Williams was fourth in the rotation throughout the spring, behind Brooks.

Freeze emphasized during spring practices that Auburn was “deficient” in true pass-rushers and wanted to add another piece during the post-spring transfer window. That need was amplified last week, when Brooks departed the program, leaving the Tigers with a complete makeover in its Jack linebacker room. Now the team welcomes another new face in McLeod, who may not be as big as McAllister and Faulk but brings some proven production at the FBS level to the fold.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.