Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A By Lou Somogyi t 6-5½, 305 pounds, sophomore defensive lineman Jarron Jones doesn't need much more additional stature. Fortunately, though, he has sprouted appreciably with a different growth spurt the past few months. The sophomore defensive tackle/nose guard's performance during the 23-13 victory versus Brigham Young Nov. 23 became a significant boost for the present and future Irish defensive line. ing preparations for the 2012 U.S. Army All-American Game. Athlon dropped him from the nation's No. 32 prospect to 101, 247Sports from 26 to 101, and Rivals.com moved him down to No. 199. Many scouts considered him a better fit at offensive tackle, especially considering his long arms. The two main questions with Jones were the level of competition he faced in high school football and the fire within him. Unlike fellow defensive line recruit Sheldon Day that same year, who was much more advanced techni- Growth Spurt Sophomore defensive lineman Jarron Jones' focus is catching up to his physical skills The Rochester, N.Y., native entered the BYU game with seven tackles. He made seven alone against the Cougars in the absence of senior Louis Nix III, who underwent season ending knee surgery two days prior, and senior Kona Schwenke, who was shelved by a high ankle sprain. Jones also blocked a 22-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter of the 23-13 victory. Head coach Brian Kelly acknowledged that Jones played "exceedingly well," just when it appeared the Irish defense would be unable to weather the loss of Nix, now and years to come. Once classified as a five-star prospect because of his size and raw athletic talent, Jones saw his stock plummet dur- cally and moved immediately into the two-deep rotation, Jones was relegated to the scout team. By the spring of 2013, Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston indicated Jones was beginning to make some progress. "Jarron is starting to play like a freshman in college,." Elston said. "He was playing like a high school senior a year ago in terms of his immaturity, his lack of aggressiveness. … He wasn't a soft player by any means, but he just wasn't as aggressive as we needed him to be." The top sound bite from Jones last spring was about the way the always opinionated Nix described the difference between why the two didn't play