AUBURN, ALABAMA. (EETV) - Zakoby McClain’s NFL dreams have come true as the leader of Auburn’s defense was signed by the Ravens following the conclusion of the NFL Draft.
The Valdosta native came to Auburn as a four-star recruit as a part of Gus Malzahn's twelfth ranked 2018 recruiting class.
As a freshman, McClain played in two games before stepping into a full-time role with the Tigers seeing action in 11 games during his sophomore season.
McClain was named a captain for the 2021 season, the linebacker played in every regular-season game before opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
McClain recorded at least two tackles in each game of his senior season en route to leading Auburn in tackles with 55 solo tackles and 95 total tackles.
The SEC recognized McClain’s strong season naming him second-team All-SEC as a linebacker.
Even with the honors, McClain entered the draft listed as an edge rusher, meaning he would not be playing the same role he played for the Tigers and rather would be playing defensive end and coming off the edge.
The linebacker earned the starting job and set a career-high for tackles with 113 his junior year before choosing to forgo to NFL Draft and return to Auburn for his senior season.
Over his career, McClain totaled 267 tackles with five and a half sacks, four forced fumbles and a 100-yard pick-6 in the 2019 Iron Bowl.
