Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 14, 2016 17 BY LOU SOMOGYI T wo days after one of the single- most dominant performances ever by a Notre Dame defen- sive lineman in the 30-27 vic- tory versus Miami, 6-5½, 315-pound graduate student Jarron Jones was dressed in full Snow White gear to help host a community Halloween event for local children. Snow White's prince finally ar- rived one day — and so has Jones' day as the player everyone projected he could become. While sitting out the entire 2015 Notre Dame football campaign with an MCL tear suffered in the pre- season, Jones was given sound ad- vice by head coach Brian Kelly in an effort to bolster his spirits. "You play well for one fall here at Notre Dame, it's an on-Broadway play," Kelly said. "… If he has a really good fall here, he'll get plenty of suitors." Those suitors began taking more notice during the 17-10 loss to Stan- ford Oct. 15 in which Jones manhan- dled the annually physical Cardinal line, while the Irish defense allowed only one touchdown. A week later against Miami, Jones became the first player in college football this year to record six tackles for lost yardage in a single game, earning him Nagurski National De- fensive Player of the Week honors. In the NFLDraftScout.com projections, Jones ascended to the No. 5 overall defensive tackle on the board and is pegged as a second-round pick. Because of his size and wingspan, which has led to him blocking a school-record-tying six kicks in his career, Jones was an even better NFL prospect than classmate Sheldon Day, who was selected in the fourth round last April. The difference was Day had a non-stop motor, while Jones would sometimes require a jump-start. A litany of injuries, including a stress reaction in his foot this spring, made Jones tentative. He described his spring as "horrible," especially because he was not in his best condition physically and mentally. It led Kelly to project that Jones might be good for about "20 to 30 snaps" per game this fall while splitting time with junior Daniel Cage. Indeed, after the first seven games Jones was averaging 30 snaps, but against the Hurricanes he had 53. "I'm very hungry," Jones noted this August of his aspiration to be- come an elite lineman. "I feel like I can be because I feel like there's a lot that I bring to the table and to this team that I can help produce and win games. "It's just showing what I can actu- ally do, besides having to listen to 'what he could be' while I'm sitting on the sidelines." Receiving his degree this past year also assisted Jones' development overall. "Once you're a graduate at Notre Dame, the reality is that it's time for you to look towards what your future is going to be," Kelly said. "Whether it's football or being em- ployed, I think that that has helped him really prioritize things in his life. "The degree and achieving that was pretty big in his life. That was a mile- stone. … He's much more mature and professional in the way he's coming to handle his work and his preparation." Jones noted that watching previous leaders such as Day or linebacker Jaylon Smith, or even current defen- sive captains such as Isaac Rochell and James Onwualu, showed it's not enough to just be the clichéd "leader by example." "There is no such thing as a leader by example," Jones said. "You have to be vocal and pull your guys along. "I saw what it's like to be around that type of leadership, those type of guys that had a bunch of NFL talent. Just being around those guys taught me a lot of maturity and how to lead your team, especially when you face adverse situations. Just being in that atmosphere was fun in itself." Beaming in the media interview room after the Miami game was Jones' mother, Lakiescha, who proudly noted her son staying grounded while making eye contact on inquiries. "All of my kids are jokesters. They love life, love to engage in life and love to have fun," she said. "Some- times it's taken as immaturity. I per- sonally like it because sometimes you have people who are above and beyond their years where they are doing things that they shouldn't, so as a mother I appreciate it. "The reason we chose this school was because I believed in the coach- ing staff, whether it was [Bob] Diaco, [Mike] Elston, [Brian] VanGorder, or now [Greg] Hudson. … They were going to make my boy into a man, and they've done exactly what they told me they'd do with him." This included demoting him on oc- casion for not living up to classroom responsibilities earlier in his career. "The fact that I sent my second son here, plus his younger brother [fresh- man linebacker Jamir], speaks vol- umes," she said. "I see it as a blessing and God doing His work. All across the board as a man, and accepting re- sponsibility for himself, his actions … it's exactly what I believed and ear- nestly sought and was led to believe when we sent him here, and they stuck to it. Anytime there are any is- sues, they call me or I call them." As Jones enters the final months of his career, the hunger is only rising. "I haven't filled out any job appli- cations, so hopefully this NFL thing works out," he said laughing. The chances there should be better than landing the Snow White lead on Broadway. ✦ Against Miami Oct. 29, Jones became the first player in the nation to record six tackles for loss in a game this fall and just the 23rd to notch at least that many since the NCAA started recording the stat in 2000. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA THE MAKING OF A MAN Graduate student Jarron Jones has blossomed on and off the field "HE'S MUCH MORE MATURE AND PROFESSIONAL IN THE WAY HE'S COMING TO HANDLE HIS WORK AND HIS PREPARATION." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY ON JONES