On The Plains with Jalil Irvin: 'Work hard for everything you get'

AUBURN, Ala. – Senior offensive lineman Jalil Irvin has seen a lot throughout his six-year tenure in the Loveliest Village on the Plains – changes involving head coaches, coordinators and position coaches, winning seasons and losing seasons. Through it all, one thing has continued to grow through his resiliency: Jalil’s determination to become a true Auburn man.

The Stone Mountain, Georgia, native committed to Auburn during his junior year of high school and never looked back.

“I knew this was the place for me and I could grow into the person I wanted to be here at Auburn,” the Stephenson High School graduate said. “There are such great people here from the coaches that recruited me to the coaches who are here now I feel like everyone has looked after me. I’ve really connected with the people here because everyone is so nice and friendly. This is the type of place where, if someone sees you with a flat tire, they will pull over and help you.”

As he approaches his last season wearing orange and blue, Irvin – who has played in 34 career games for the Tigers – is prepared to do anything he can to help his team be successful.

“I want my last year to go out with a bang,” he said. “I want our team to have good camaraderie and for all of us to come together and do what we can do, which is putting Auburn football where it’s supposed to be. Last year wasn’t where we wanted to be, but I think this year we have the opportunity to be really good and we’ll get there.” 

If you’re looking for someone who embodies the words of George Petrie from the Auburn Creed – “I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully” – look no further than Jalil Irvin.

The December 2022 graduate of the Harbert College of Business recognizes the value of an Auburn University degree and hopes to begin a career in the sports financial field after his graduate degree in December.

“When you put Auburn on a resume it’ll automatically stand out because this is one of the best schools in the country,” he said. “My mom is a teacher so education played a big part in my decision to come to play football at Auburn.”

Above all, Irvin has something else he’ll be able to look back on and be proud of. He knows what hard work looks like, as it says in the Creed: “I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.”

“Becoming an Auburn man has taught me how to deal with adversity,” he said. “This is my sixth year and every year I’ve had a different offensive coordinator.  Being here [at Auburn] has taught me how to go through something and not just give up and to keep fighting.

“You never know what will happen when you keep fighting and keep working because good things could come to you. You could have a different boss every year out in the real world like I’ve had a different offensive coordinator. So, playing football at Auburn has helped prepare me for the real world. 
“I’m now used to working with all different types of people. Everything is about how you look at it. I’ve been able to learn something new each year from everyone.”

Reflecting on his time at Auburn, Irvin said he’d remember the workouts and running stairs inside Jordan-Hare Stadium on early summer mornings the most. However, there’s nothing like playing in JHS with his teammates beside him and the Auburn Family behind them.

“Coming to Auburn from Stone Mountain was a culture shock,” he said. “Just leaving everything that I’d known and coming here, it was hard to get used to everything. But that’s college life and life in general. Now I can look back and say that I’m glad I came here.

“If you’re going to be at Auburn, you have to work hard. It’s in the Creed and everyone who’s here knows what this place stands for. Auburn is a blue-collar place and that means we believe in hard work. There’s nothing here that’s going to be handed to you; you have to work hard for everything you get.”

Jalil Irvin has spent the past six seasons growing into a true Auburn man embodying the Auburn Creed.

Dalton Odom is a student assistant in Auburn Athletics Communications