I don't know about how smart he is (literally no idea), but talent is meaningless without the right mentality. The battlefield is littered with the bodies of talented men, bested by tougher men.
Anyone who's worked in any kind of organization knows that things generally flow from the top. Leaders set the tone. Take the military. The tougher, stricter, more disciplined the commander, the tighter, tougher, more disciplined the unit he commands.. The more disciplined the unit, the more effective in battle. Loose troops lose lives.
Of course Jalen owns some responsibility, no body is claiming otherwise. But you can't make up 3+ years of loose play and little accountability in a scant few months. Not realistic imo.
The reality is that players reflect their coach. That goes for professionals too (see BB and the Pats). But especially so at the developmental levels. See how JC imparted his will on his players and made them tougher, made them into men. If you are allowed to be lazy, you quite often do, and everyone else on the team is probably doing it too, which compounds the issue in one giant feedback loop.
I guarantee if Jalen had spent 3+ years under Calhoun, he would be an entirely different player.
