Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones flew into spring practice under the radar, at least from the outside looking in.
All-American Aiden Fisher was back at one middle linebacker spot, and the expectation was sophomore Rolijah Hardy would line up next to him to replace Jailin Walker.
Meanwhile Jones’ opportunity to see the field seemed similar to what it was in 2024. He’d likely play against 12 personnel (one running back and two tight ends) and on special teams. Jones says he was fine with that if the team is winning. And the way he agonizes over talking about himself rather than the team makes you believe him.
As it turned out, Fisher and Hardy starting, and Jones playing against 12 personnel all happened as expected.
But Jones played a lot more than that.
Why?
As spring practice turned into fall camp and Jones kept flashing, IU defensive coordinator Haines realized there was untapped potential in his redshirt junior from London, Ohio.
“How can you keep that guy off the field? He’s so productive when he’s out there,” Haines said Sunday.
But playing three linebackers at the same time is unconventional, and something Haines hadn’t done much of prior to this season.
“I used to only do the 4-3 stuff against 12 personnel or bigger (offensive) groupings,” Haines said. “You know, they have to bring two or three tight ends in the game for me to go into a 4-3 package. Now I’ll do it against 11 personnel, 10 personnel. I can put him to the field. I can put him at the boundary. We have some 3-3 stuff that we do.
“Bones is one of the best 11 guys on defense. Why not play your best 11? He allows me to do that with his scheme versatility.”
You might already know, “Bones” is Jones’ nickname. The nickname comes from Haines, who is a fan of mixed martial arts and UFC, a sport that once featured legendary MMA fighter Jon “Bones” Jones. The nickname was soon adopted by everyone in the IU program.
Jones didn’t play more than 28 snaps in any of the first four games of the season. But it was after the Illinois game, when he had two tackles for loss and a sack in just 18 snaps, that his role kept expanding.
Haines said Jones had to earn the trust of the head coach to see the field more, and by midseason Curt Cignetti was singing his praises.
“Everyone is just so proud of Isaiah Jones,” Cignetti said in October. “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. He is really playing well. I am so happy for him. He has been a huge playmaker for us.”
Like a good set of bones, Jones became integral to the structure of Haines’ defense. At one point he was leading the Big Ten in tackles for loss and finished the season with 14, good for a tie for fourth in the league. And he finished tied for ninth with seven sacks. Jones played 38 or more snaps in each of the last nine games, and his highest snap counts of the season came in IU’s biggest wins — at Iowa, at Oregon, at Penn State and vs. Ohio State.
He’d end up third-team All-Big Ten despite not having a clear every down role coming out of fall camp.
Jones said he came into the season already knowing all three linebacker positions in the defense and the skills each spot required. That would come in handy as Haines tinkered with new looks that best utilized Jones’ strengths. And it also allowed Jones to fill in for Fisher for most of two games.
“Once you know the defense, you know the rotations, and you know all the spots, it kind of makes it easy because then I know if I have a rolled out corner outside of me or if I have a safety roll down inside of me, I can box the ball back to him or spill it to my corner,” Jones said. “I think honestly learning and playing all three positions has just let me play faster.”
Nobody on the outside had major expectations for Jones going into the 2025 season. But he’ll be back next year, and Haines has already set the standard sky high.
“One day, number four (Fisher) is not going to be out there for the Hoosiers playing mike linebacker and the next guy in that line is Bones Jones,” Haines said. “I think he is up to that challenge.”
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