A fifth year is essentially an all-or-nothing proposition for Jarron Jones. It’s also the silver lining after a training camp injury robbed Jones of his senior season.
Now Jones has to deliver. On the mountain of talent he possesses, and as a critical piece at the point of attack for an Irish defense that needs to get tough against the run.
At his best, Jones is one of the elite talents in the country. But we’ve seen that only in flashes—mostly on one impressive Saturday evening in Tallahassee two falls ago. With an offseason plan to limit Jones’ snap count to pick and choose his spots, the veteran has a chance to dominate in the trenches during a season that’s sure to be an audition for NFL scouts.
6’5.5″, 315 lbs.
Grad Student, No. 94, DT
Flirted with a five-star ranking before falling to four stars after a disappointing US Army All-American game, Jones was still an elite recruit out of high school. The Top 150 prospect had offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State and Michigan before picking Notre Dame.
Sophomore Season (2013): Appeared in 12 games, making one start against Stanford. Had 20 total tackles on the season, including a sack against Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl. Played his best game against BYU, where he made seven tackles and blocked a fourth quarter field goal, one of two kicks Jones blocked in 2013.
Junior Season (2014): Played and started in Notre Dame’s first 11 games before a foot injury ended his season. His 40 tackles tied Sheldon Day for most tackles from a defensive lineman. He finished tied for second on the team with 7.5 TFLs.
Senior Season (2015): Missed the entire regular season after injuring his MCL during fall camp. Played 14 snaps against Ohio State, registering no official stats but earning a +1.2 ranking per PFF College with a QB hit.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
This went out the window the moment Jones got rolled up in preseason camp.
Keith Gilmore has a very moldable piece of clay in Jones, and he’s likely spent a lot of this summer getting to know one of his star pupils. I think there’s more Notre Dame can get out of Jones as a pass rusher, and hopefully Gilmore does a good job of unlocking that.
Jones has an interesting first seven weeks, including two dates against option, cut-blocking offenses. At nearly 6-foot-6, if he’s capable of keeping his lower body healthy, he’s also primed to put up very big numbers, with a double-digit TFL season on the horizon.
That’s the baseline of my expectations, and I think Jones will also make an impact with another blocked kick (or two) in 2015, adding to the four career blocks he already has. But the duo of Jones and Sheldon Day has the potential to be one of the most dominant tackle pairings in college football, and could bring the Irish back to the glory days of the Holtz era when you think about wreaking havoc on the inside.
I’m all in on Jones, but he’s got to prove that he’s healthy to unlock the potential just about everybody sees.
We saw a final season in South Bend turn Sheldon Day into an every-down machine after showing flashes of brilliance in moments over three seasons. I don’t think that’s a fair comparison for Jones, but finding some type of consistency and motor is crucial to Jones’ final phase of development at the college level.
It hasn’t always been easy for Jones. A freshman season was one spent frustrating coaches with immaturity and an inability to grasp his role as a defensive end. His sophomore year was salvaged when he was the only remaining option to slide to nose guard—a lightbulb that went on just when the Irish needed it. Now he’s an elder statesman on a young team and an even younger defense, a desperately needed piece of the puzzle who has all the talent in the world when he’s engaged—and healthy.
That last point can’t be over-stated. Jones has some wear on his tires. Foot and knee injuries don’t make it easy on a guy who is likely carrying 20 to 25 more pounds than what’s listed.
Jones sure looks like an elite defensive lineman. He even plays like it sometimes. To reach his ceiling he needs to stay healthy and make sure his dominant spurts aren’t the exception.
This is the hardest prediction of the series thus far, and it really comes down to Jones’ health and ability to contribute from game one. With Daniel Cage capable of playing major snaps at nose guard, Jones won’t be asked to play 60 snaps a game—Kelly tagged the magic number around 35 this summer.
Does that make Jones a part time player? Or someone whose skill-set limits him? I’m not sure exactly. He’s a gifted athlete—expect a blocked kick or two this season—and has the ability to wreak havoc in the backfield. Perhaps the diminished play count allows Jones to spend more time at full throttle, throwing away work volume for a sprinter’s mentality.
If he’s healthy, I don’t know how you limit Jones to 35 snaps. Especially because he has all the ability to make double-digit TFLs this season and detonate the interior of opposing offensive lines.
I’ll predict a monster season if his health lets him, a dozen TFLs and some postseason accolades. But he needs to survive option attacks from Army and Navy and some other run-heavy opponents as well.
2016’s Irish A-to-Z
Torii Hunter Jr.