Listed Measurements: 5-foot-11 ½, 227 pounds
2017-18 year, eligibility: Sophomore with four years of eligibility remaining including 2017
Depth chart: Jones takes second-team snaps at inside linebacker behind senior captain Nyles Morgan. Jones could have the best August camp of the entire roster, and Morgan would still not need to worry about his starting position.
Recruiting: A consensus three-star recruit, Jones chose Notre Dame over offers from Michigan, Stanford, LSU and Florida, as well as many others. Rivals.com rated him the No. 19 inside linebacker in the class of 2016 and the No. 66 prospect in Florida.
CAREER TO DATE
Jones preserved a year of eligibility last season.
QUOTE(S)
Morgan’s status deprives anyone a reason to bring up his position as a question, thus Irish coach Brian Kelly never mentioned Jones this spring. He did, however, offer an honest assessment of the then-high schooler when Jones signed with Notre Dame in February of 2016.
“Physically, maybe his lack of height scared some people away, but [Jones has] just great instincts as a linebacker,” Kelly said. “Great leadership quality, physically strong, fit, athletic, and has a great awareness in the pass game, as well. For us, just looked like the consummate linebacker. He had all that innate ability and football recognition that you don’t have to teach.”
WHAT KEITH ARNOLD PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Unless there’s an injury to Morgan or [then-junior, now senior captain] Greer Marini, I don’t see the need to play Jones. He may very well be an ultra-productive linebacker. But even with ‘likeable and learnable’ being the new buzzwords for [former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian] VanGorder’s defense, we’ve seen the challenges this system poses to first-year middle linebackers.
“Jones might be too good to keep on the sidelines all season. But if he’s a contributor, it’s likely as a special teams weapon or if things go really haywire at linebacker. That doesn’t limit his future, as there aren’t too many true middle linebackers in the program right now. But for 2016, I’ll have modest goals for Jones.”
2017 OUTLOOK
Aside from time on special teams and in mop-up duty of blowouts, it is hard to see Jones getting much action this season. Morgan will play. It is as simple as that. Let’s set the over/under on defensive snaps missed by a healthy Morgan when a game is within two possessions at 5.5. Yes, that is for the entire season.
Even if Morgan goes down, Jones’ time on the field may not enjoy as much of an uptick as some would expect. If Morgan falls to a tweaked ankle and his time on the sideline is only a few plays or a series, Jones might be the one to fill in short-term. However, if Morgan were to suffer a long-term injury, it is more likely junior Te’von Coney takes over alongside senior Greer Martini, whom Coney typically spells.
In that latter scenario, Jones would get more playing time as the likely first off the bench for either Coney or Martini, but he would not inherently slide in as the starter in Morgan’s absence.
DOWN THE ROAD
A year from now, though, both Martini and Morgan will be gone. Coney figures to fit in well for Martini. Who fills in for Morgan is a tougher question, and Jones may be the most obvious answer.
His classmate Jamir Jones (no relation) appears destined to spend most of his career on the defensive line. Twice this spring Kelly indicated Jamir Jones was cross-training there. A year from now, that may be a full-time gig.
At that point, Jonathan Jones’ only competition would be incoming freshmen David Adams and Drew White. White, especially, is known for his tackling, similar to Jones in that respect. Whoever earns the starting role, the other(s) will be counted on to back him up in a surprisingly-sparse linebacker corps.
2017’s Notre Dame 99-to-2
Friday at 4: Goodbye A-to-Z, hello 99-to-2 (May 12)
No. 99: Jerry Tillery, defensive tackle
No. 98: Andrew Trumbetti, defensive end
No. 97: Micah Dew-Treadway, defensive tackle
No. 96: Pete Mokwuah, defensive tackle
No. 95 (theoretically): Darnell Ewell, defensive tackle
No. 94 (theoretically): Kurt Hinish, defensive tackle
No. 93: Jay Hayes, defensive end
No. 92 (theoretically): Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, defensive tackle
No. 91: Ade Ogundeji, defensive end
No. 90 (theoretically): Cole Kmet, tight end
No. 89: Brock Wright, tight end
No. 88: Javon McKinley, receiver
No. 87 (theoretically): Jafar Armstrong, receiver
No. 86: Alizé Mack, tight end
No. 85: Tyler Newsome, punter
No. 84 (theoretically): Michael Young, receiver
No. 83: Chase Claypool, receiver
No. 82: Nic Weishar, tight end
No. 81: Miles Boykin, receiver
No. 80: Durham Smythe, tight end
No. 78: Tommy Kraemer, right tackle
No. 77: Brandon Tiassum, defensive tackle
No. 75: Daniel Cage, defensive tackle
No. 74: Liam Eichenberg, right tackle
No. 73: (theoretically) Josh Lugg, offensive tackle
No. 72: Robert Hainsey, offensive tackle
No. 71: Alex Bars, offensive lineman
No. 70: Hunter Bivin, offensive lineman
No. 69: Aaron Banks, offensive lineman
No. 68: Mike McGlinchey, left tackle
No. 67: Jimmy Byrne, offensive lineman
No. 65: (theoretically) Dillan Gibbons, offensive lineman
No. 58: Elijah Taylor, defensive tackle
No. 57: Trevor Ruhland, offensive lineman
No. 56: Quenton Nelson, left guard
No. 55: Jonathan Bonner, defensive lineman
No. 54: John Shannon, long snapper
No. 53: Sam Mustipher, center
No. 53: Khalid Kareem, defensive lineman
No. 52: (theoretically) Jonathan Doerer, kicker
No. 48: Greer Martini, inside linebacker
No. 47: (theoretically) Kofi Wardlow, defensive end
No. 46: (theoretically) Jonathon MacCollister; defensive end
TRANSFERS
No. 66: Tristen Hoge, offensive lineman, transfers to BYU
No. 50: Parker Boudreaux, offensive lineman
No. 30: Josh Barajas, linebacker, to transfer to Illinois State
INJURIES
No. 13: Tyler Luatua, tight end, career ended by medical hardship