Advertisement
football Edit

A long journey to the starting lineup for Greg Jones

Jones appeared in just one game at RU last season

Rutgers will introduce a new starting strongside linebacker when the season begins as senior Greg Jones has received the starting nod. Jones has a unique background in that he bounced around before coming to Rutgers as a walk-on last season.

Jones’ journey started at East Stroudsburg, where he played one season and registered 72 tackles as an outside linebacker. He then transferred to Middlesex County College for a year before enrolling at Monroe College where he rushed for 444 yards at the JuCo level.

That led to a transfer to Rutgers last season as he bounced around positons before landing at linebacker.

“The journey was tough. It has always been something I have taken in and used as extra energy and move forward in life,” Jones said on Monday. “There are always going to be times when you are going through something tough and I learned at that time you have to step up and be a man.”

Jones started the summer at No.2 on the depth chart behind sophomore Najee Clayton, who had received a high amount of praise from the coaching staff coming into camp.

However, Jones will be the one who starts at the strongside linebacker spot against Washington on Saturday.

“I worked for it. I really don’t make the call whether I am going to start or not, so it does not make a difference to me,” Jones said. “I am going to go out and work as hard as I can every single day. That’s just who I am. Whether I am a starter or not, my work ethic and attitude is not going to change.”

And what does head coach Chris Ash think of his new starting strongside linebacker?

“He has just shown relentless effort. He is always around the ball, does stuff right,” Ash said of Jones. “Tough as nails.”

The installment of a new coaching staff also kind of leveled the playing ground for Jones as every position was considered up for grabs.

“There was no pressure on me honestly. Nobody knew who I was from the start,” Jones said. “It did not make a difference if it was the old staff or the new staff. No one knew anything about me. So I had to work. With the new staff coming in, it made it a little easier on me because they didn’t know anybody. Somebody had to stand out, so I took that opportunity and worked my behind off.”

For more insight on the SAM linebacker position and how it stacks up at Rutgers, check out or latest Scarlet Slant inside The Round Table.

Advertisement