Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones has stepped into a major role for the Hoosiers this season. He leads the Big Ten with 10 tackles for loss halfway through the season.
Jones entered the season projected to see plenty of action this season, but as the team’s No. 3 linebacker behind Aiden Fisher and Rolijah Hardy. But his strong play has led defensive coordinator Bryant Haines to utilize three-linebacker formations more frequently.
Teammates aren’t surprised by Jones’ emergence. They’ve seen his work ethic for a long time and knew he was capable of big things. IU running back Roman Hemby said Jones is everything a Big Ten linebacker should be.
“He’s hard-nosed, he’s one of those guys that has a lot of moves in pass pro, so he’s a pass-rush guy that creates a lot of problems for running backs,” Hemby said on Tuesday. “I had to learn from him, I had to balance things off of him in spring ball and camp to kind of get better at my game. And just his grit and how he plays the game. He’s always in the right gaps, he makes you work.”
Jones saw limited game action in 2024, playing behind Fisher and Jailin Walker. He and Hardy both had to step up in stretches when Walker was hurt, and the IU defense sometimes struggled without Walker on the field.
But the redshirt junior has reached another level this season. He’s shown a nose for the ball — he made a key interception last week at Oregon, and he blocked a punt earlier in the season. 4.5 of his TFLs are sacks, and he also has a QB hurry.
The London, Ohio native made note of the stark difference he sees in his own play from last year to this season. His coaches have noticed as well.
“I think everyone is just so proud of Isaiah Jones. He’s a great teammate. He’s a great leader. He represents everything that we talk about, what it takes to be the best you can be,” head coach Curt Cignetti said on Monday. “He is really playing well. I am so happy for him, and he has been a huge play maker for us.”
Jones is a holdover from the Tom Allen era. He was a practice squad player back then, appearing in just two games in both 2022 and 2023. But when Cignetti and his staff arrived after the 2023 season, Jones needed surgery for a lingering back injury. He’d dealt with a bulging disc dating back to his high school days, and he played through it for the beginning of his IU career. But the injury got worse over time, and he needed the procedure to alleviate his pain.
So Jones missed some time in spring camp in 2024 while recovering from that surgery. He said the procedure was minimally invasive, and he was able to do some non-contact activity by the end of that spring.
“Once it’s done, for me, it was a game-changer. I felt completely different,” Jones said on Tuesday. “If anyone’s ever had it (a bulging disc), they know it’s (the pain is) pretty rough. It just comes with the game, I guess.”
Jones persevered through that obstacle and has come out strong on the other side. He’s become an impact player on one of the best defenses in the country.
Through Jones’ time in Bloomington, he’s seen the linebacker room through multiple generations of leadership. He began his IU career learning from Cam Jones and Aaron Casey, and after Cignetti and his staff arrived, he played with Fisher and Walker.
The redshirt junior saw what Indiana football was under the old staff, and he’s seen what the program has blossomed into under Cignetti. He hasn’t taken that perspective for granted.
“Fish and J-Walk — last year when we had all this success — those guys came from a program that was known for winning. For me, it was special. I would joke with those guys. I was like, ‘You don’t know what it was like before this. You don’t know, the 3-9s, the 4-8s,'” Jones said. “For us, it meant a lot to be able to see what we could turn this place into, and the involvement we get from the fans and the support we get from the the boosters and the fans. So it was just really special for me.”
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