Jarvis Jones won’t catch anyone by surprise this season.
In his first year as a starter, Jones broke out for an SEC-high 13.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, 70 tackles and 49 QB pressures. The junior outside linebacker was an automatic pick for CBSSports.com preseason All-American team.
Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Jones must become a more sophisticated defender to live up to expectations this fall.
“He’s got to understand that there are a lot of good coaches in this league, and they’re going to say, ‘All right, we’re not going to let this guy wreck the game,’” Grantham told the paper. “They’re going to try to find ways to take him away. You’ve got to have answers for that.”
Jones has a good shot to duplicate his 2011 stats because opponents won't be able to focus on him as much as they'd like. The Bulldogs return 12 of their top 13 tacklers from last year's defense, which ranked fifth nationally in yards allowed (277.2).
At 6-3, 241 pounds, Jones has a rare burst. Grantham noted he’s only played his position a year.
“So the more he understands formations, where people are, how he can play things, will allow him to make even more plays," Grantham said. "And then he needs to just work on his overall technique.”
Jones could be honing his skills in an NFL training camp instead of Athens. He was eligible to jump to the NFL this year because he's three years removed from high school. After playing backup linebacker as a Southern Cal freshman, he transferred to UGA and redshirted in 2010.
Jones was one of several Bulldogs who bypassed the draft to return to school, making Georgia the SEC East favorite and the nation’s No. 6 team according to CBSSports.com.
“[People] know I stayed to get better, stayed to mature and become a better person outside of football,” Jones said. “You get some people that are, like, ‘Well, I would have taken the money’, or ‘I would have [done] this.’ It ain’t all about the money. A lot of guys could have left and made money. But they … came back here here to get better, to become legends of the university. Because once football is over here, you’ll never step between the hedges again and play.
“All the guys, they bought into it, and we believe in each other and want to do something great. All the guys don’t want to be just another name or another number that just came through here and went to the pros. We want to [put up] one of those [championship] plaques downstairs and be remembered as long as this university stands.”
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from SEC bloggers Daniel Lewis and Larry Hartstein, follow @CBSSportsSEC.
