What Anthony Campanile Wants to See From Jaguars' Rookie Jalen McLeod

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have seen plenty of players up and down their depth chart see the field this season. As it turns out, there is a chance we should see another make their debut.

The Jaguars announced earlier this week that Day 3 rookie Jalen McLeod would have his 21-day practice window opened, giving McLeod a chance to see the practice field for the first time all regular season after he sustained an ankle injury in training camp.

So, what does Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile want to see from him?

Watch Campanile Discuss Below

"Yeah, I was just talking to him downstairs in the hallway about the same thing. I just want to see him play hard as hell," Campanile said on Thursday.

"I want to see him go out and play like he did in the summer, do what got you here. Play hard as hell and represent the people who raised you, the people you love the right way, and go out there and kick *** in practice."

While McLeod is starting quite a bit behind the eight ball compared to the rest of the Jaguars defenders, he still has a skill set they could potentially utilize both on defense and special teams. He was playing well in training camp before his injury, and the final few weeks of practice will give the Jaguars a chance to see what he can do.

Above all else, though, Campanile wants to see effort and strain from McLeod as he gets back on the field. That is the standard that has been set by the rest of the defense all season long, and McLeod is no exception.

campanile jaguars — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile walks off the field to be interviewed by media members after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We always watch that and that always jumps out. I know I talked about [DL] Matt Dickerson a couple weeks ago. A lot of Matt's opportunity came from one.) we knew of him and watching him before he got here, but when he got here and he got out there in the practice field, to me it was undeniable. This guy's doing a really good job and he deserves an opportunity," Campanile said.

"So, I think Liam does a great job with that. It's real. It’s not like hey, you're just going out there. If you're out there, you're competing and you're doing a great job and you're playing the way we want you to with your hair on fire. Yeah, you're going to get an opportunity because that's always going to be able to help us win, so that's what I want to see for him too.”

McLeod started for Auburn's defense for the last two seasons after transferring from Appalachian State. He recorded 57 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2024, a year after recording 50 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

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