The Xzavier McLeod saga has taken another turn. McLeod was arrested by the Athens-Clarke County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday afternoon on a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass/property damage/family violence. According to jail records, McLeod was released at 2:35 pm ET on Thursday on $9 bail. Dawgs247 requested the incident report of McLeod’s arrest. Dawgs247 reported earlier this week that McLeod was no longer part of the Georgia program. McLeod addressed his departure from the team on Wednesday, writing in part: “I’m proud of how I represented Georgia and I’m glad I’m done with the Dawgs, but it’s sad to close this chapter. My teammates are like family, and even though I’m no longer on the team, my heart will always remain with the Bulldogs. I will continue to support them from afar and will always be grateful for our bond that will last a lifetime.” Wednesday. “Xzavier hasn’t been with us since the second practice, so all the news with Xzavier… everyone’s acting like it’s something that just launched or something,” Smart said. “I think he practiced once or twice before he decided to quit and just didn’t want to play football anymore, and I certainly respect that. He’s going to graduate this semester and he’ll be happy for Xzavier.” McLeod was preparing for his third season in Athens. He appeared in 14 games for the Bulldogs last fall, which included 6 starts. He recorded 17 tackles, 6 quarterback pressures and 2 pass breakups. One of his most productive games was against Ole Miss, when he had 2 tackles and a key pass deflection in the Bulldogs’ 43-35 victory. McLeod was expected to play a key role on the defensive line this season at nose tackle alongside fellow veteran Jordan Hall. Other options at the position include Nnamdi Ogboko, Valdin Sone and Nasir Johnson. Smart addressed what he wanted to see from the other linemen who could fill McLeod’s shoes. “Our kids have been practicing really hard on the defensive line,” Smart said Wednesday. “We have a really good group that’s exciting to watch and we’ve been doing an exceptional job. You know, Tray really drives that group, and they’ve been doing a great job in practice. They probably got as much depth as we’ve had there. I don’t know if we have a dominant player, but we have a lot of depth at that position and I’m excited to see those guys play.”
