The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Jones Settling Into Jack Linebacker Position Just Fine
10/1/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Steve Irvine
uabsports.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- The move to Jack linebacker wasn't necessarily greeted with open arms when UAB Shaq Jones first heard the news. He wanted to do what he could to help the team. He wanted to do what the coaches asked. His initial thought, however, was he wanted to do that as an inside linebacker.
"At first, I kind of viewed it as a demotion," said Jones, a junior from Lanett, Alabama.
He sat down for one-on-one conversations with UAB head coach Bill Clark and defensive line coach David Reeves. He expressed his concerns and heard their reasoning for proposing the move. He also learned that it was far from a demotion.
"They just told me things I have to do at the position and how the position is an important part of the team," Jones said. "They told me that if the position I'm at is successful, then the defense can be successful. I took that as a challenge to be as good as I can be and try to make the team successful by being a great player at the position."
Success certainly didn't come overnight for Jones at a hybrid position that is part defensive end and part linebacker. He played both inside and outside linebacker during his first two seasons under former head coach Garrick McGee's staff. And Jones remained at inside linebacker during Clark's first spring practice as the Blazers' head coach.
But Clark looked at Jones' 6-foot-3 frame and envisioned a Jack linebacker.
"If you drew one up, that's a lot what he would look like," Clark said. "Obviously, the bigger you can get the better. He just fits that Jack."
Jones was listed at 210 pounds during on the spring roster but is currently listed at 232 pounds. But he still spent most of fall camp behind senior Trey Grissett and junior Tevin Crews.
"We use the word urgent for him," Clark said. "He's a really smart guy with a ton of ability. We just wanted him to turn loose. We've seen him do that now. I think like all of them, he's a work in progress but we've really seen him take a step. He's got all the ability in the world to do that."
Jones played in the season-opening win over Troy but was not credited with a tackle. He had three tackles at Mississippi State, two against Alabama A&M and six against FIU. He had two tackles for loss against FIU and one against Alabama A&M. He also moved into the starting lineup the past two games.
He's shown the ability to defend the run, get after the passer and drop into coverage on a tight end. He's also grown to love the position.
"The difference is I get to come off the edge a little bit more, have a little bit more freedom," said Jones, who had 63 tackles and 2.5 tackles while playing in all 24 games during his first two seasons at UAB. "There is a lot less thinking so I can play a whole lot faster. Instead of know where this play is or that play is, I just know my gap and go get the ball."
Getting to the football is what he did when he starred at Lanett High School. Jones, who played at the same high school as former UAB linebacker Lamanski Ware, was one of the top defenders in Alabama while at Lanett. He combined for 241 tackles, including 18 for loss, eight sacks and four interceptions over his final two seasons. He still wasn't heavily recruited but that was fine with him after getting the offer from UAB.
"I got my opportunity," Jones said. "I had a dream to play college football. I'm majoring in kinesiology, I want to be a physical therapist, so coming to school here was perfect fit. It wasn't a big deal about what schools recruited me. I accomplished one of my dreams to play college football and here I am."
