#2 Chandler Jones
Class: Junior
Ht/Wt: 5-10/186
Position: Defensive Back
Hometown: Miami, FL
Twitter: @1OfficialCJ
Thoughts: You ever go to a birthday party or retirement party or whatever the case may be and you hear someone say “save some room, we have cake and ice cream”. While the main event is typically the cake because it gets brought out first, it’s nice and decorated, and it’s got flashy candles, lets not sleep on the ice cream. The better of the two ‘sweet treats’ takes a backseat at parties but is often viewed as the more reliable go-to on a day to day basis. Is Chandler Jones Louisville’s ‘Baskin-Robbins’?
While the offseason hype and discussion has mostly centered around Kei’ Trel Clark at corner we shouldn’t forget that the other side of the field has a pretty solid and reliable corner as well. Jones will have played in this defense for three seasons, and he knows it very well. His athleticism is what got him him on the field initially, but his knowledge and growth is what will keep him on the field this year…quite literally. Coach Brown has said that Jones abilities will allow him to sometimes even slide back into a backup safety role because he knows that position as well and they could use Greedy at corner at times. Position versatility is a huge benefit for anyone but having a veteran guy that can slide around is a major plus, almost to the point where Jones (ice cream) could be viewed as more valuable than Clark (cake).
If Jones stays healthy and can contribute at a couple spots on the field his presence will be key to helping this group move up into a Top 25-30 unit. Tip of the cap to Chandler for his development and continuing to improve, even when thrown into the fire as a freshman back in 2018. During a rough year he played in eleven games, he learned, he grew, and now he helps establish a new baseline for this defense.
Sweet Tweet:
more days like today, more life
— Chandler Jones (@1OfficialCJ) March 22, 2021
Saturday of a holiday weekend…I agree, more days like today would be nice, but I’m not looking for a ‘Groundhog Day’ situation here, CJ. I counted down 98 days…lets close this thing out.