“The benefit of having him in the middle is he can take a greater leadership role. He does such a good job in the box against the run, we thought the Mike (middle linebacker position) was the perfect fit for him.”

In the middle, Jones will be entrusted by MSU’s coaching staff to call huddles, read sets and relay on-field messages to his team. The tasks are demanding, but Jones said he’s up for the challenge.

“I think I can do it,” he said. “The defense trusts me and that’s a real big deal to me — that’s all I ever wanted. I feel like without that, I couldn’t be in the Mike position.”

While playing the Sam — or strongside linebacker position — last season, Jones finished with 78 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble. With a move to the middle, those numbers will likely spike.

“You get to see more of the field compared to outside ‘backer where you’re only reading half,” Jones said. “Me being in the middle, I can see a lot more and be able to make more things happen.”

Moving outside:

To create room for Jones, fellow sophomore linebacker Eric Gordon, who played mostly in the middle last season, will play on the outside this year.

Gordon said he has experience at both positions so the transition won’t be overwhelming.

“Both positions are kind of interchangeable,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going be that bad.”

Last year, Gordon quietly scrapped together an impressive freshman season, finishing fifth on the team with 62 tackles. The Traverse City native also had a sack and a clutch interception in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Tressel said Gordon flew under the radar last season mainly because Jones had such a big year.

“If Jones wasn’t there, people would be saying ‘Man, Eric Gordon is just a freshman, he’s got three more years,” Tressel said. “He had such a standout freshman year and that did not go missed by me.

“I think it’s very exciting for anybody who follows the linebackers at Michigan State to know that we have both those guys for three more seasons.”

Two down, one to go:

While Jones and Gordon are certain starters, Tressel said the coaching staff has yet to determine who will start at the weakside.

Right now, senior Ryan Allison appears to be the front-runner, but junior Brandon Denson is nipping at his heels. Both were recruited out of high school as offensive players.

“Brandon Denson and Ryan Allison are the two guys who are battling it out right now, but of course, there’s potential for other guys to step in,” Tressel said. “(Junior) Adam Decker is doing a great job in the middle, he’s really got the defense picked up.”