2024 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 46 Days (Isaiah Jones)

Written By Nick Gonzales (@nrgonzales_)

The 2024 Hoosier Huddle Countdown to kickoff continues with 46 days until the start of the Hoosier’s football season! Every day, we take a look at players on the current roster and highlight their roles in the upcoming season. We are more than midway through our countdown and today we are looking at number 46, linebacker Isaiah Jones.

Name: Isaiah Jones

Hometown: London, Ohio (London)

Position: Linebacker

Year: Redshirt Sophomore

Height/Weight: 6’2”/227 pounds

Social Media: Twitter: (@isaiah_jones_1)

Jones journeyed far from London to Bloomington. Not the London you may be thinking of that’s across the pond, but the one located in Indiana’s eastern neighbor, Ohio. Jones, a three-star recruit, was ranked the number 28 player in Ohio according to 247Sports in high school. He was named all-district and All-Central Buckeye Conference, and twice earned Central Buckeye Conference Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior, he totaled 99 tackles with 2.5 sacks and returned his only interception for a touchdown. As a junior, he earned second-team All Ohio, first-team all-district, and first-team All-CBC while collecting 63 tackles and 5.5 sacks. In high school, Jones also played basketball and lettered in track & field competing in the 1.6kg Discus and 12lb Shot Put. Additionally, Jones’ father is Darrell “D.J.” Jones who played tight end at Ohio State from 1992-96.

Jones appeared in two games during his first collegiate season in 2022 and made the decision to redshirt after the season was over. In 2023, he also appeared in two games making his season debut against Michigan State (11/18). When Jones is not on the field, in the gym, or in the classroom, he likes to do charitable work. IU Football partnered up with Hoosiers For Good and Stop the Violence Indianapolis “to challenge young people to team up for peace by choosing [a] positive alternative to gun violence,” and Jones has posted about it on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. He volunteered to read to the children at Grandview Elementary in April of 2023 and in May of 2023, he traveled to the Dominican Republic with other members of IU football to quote, “spread God’s word and the game of football” to the children and teens there.

While Jones hasn’t appeared on the field too much, he showed a lot of promise with his performance during IU’s 2024 Spring Game recording 4.5 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, and 1.0 sack according to 247sports. He has shown that he is superb at wrapping up opposing players and can shed run blocks fairly easily. He has excellent reaction time and ball tracking skills. Sometimes people forget that football isn’t just about one person, it’s a team sport, and Jones shows how much of a team player he is by making sure to keep his leverage and do his part on defense by spilling the runner outside if he can’t complete the tackle. Jones is disciplined and always makes an effort in pursuing the ball, even if it may seem that the play is over. His strength shows in his playing style and his speed will definitely factor into some hard-hitting tackles. He’s a beast that’ll be backing up JMU transfer Aiden Fisher. Jones has a ton of potential and will get considerable playing time this season. He’s not reached his peak yet, but he’ll be a fun and competitive player to watch on Indiana’s defense for the next couple of years.

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff continues with Day 45 tomorrow!