As LSU begins a new season with hopes of returning to title contention, they’ll have the help of a player who knows just what it’s like to play for a College Football Playoff title in Louisiana.
Yes, Mike Jones Jr. has been there before. The new Tigers linebacker was a member of the Clemson team that LSU defeated for the title in the 2019 season. He feels right at home with his new program, though he’s still mixing up some of the pronouns.
"I’m glad you guys won it. Well, not glad, because I lost,” Jones said. "But being here now, congratulations. Like, I’m glad we won. But it’s been really interesting seeing it from the other side.”
Jones logged 24 tackles, mostly playing outside, over his 3 years playing in the other Death Valley. He joins LSU this season, in part, because he was looking for a scheme that’d allow him to play inside and use his 6-foot-2, 234-pound frame to his advantage.
His new coach, Ed Orgeron, has said multiple times he’s been impressed how quickly the transfer linebacker has made an impact with his new team and could be in line for a starting role. The team has a bit of a void at the position with the departure of Jabril Cox, who starred in the Tigers’ linebacker room after transferring from North Dakota State. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th round of this year’s draft.
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"I have great teammates, great coaches, and they’ve helped me develop as fast as I can in the situation,” Jones said. "It’s a lot of competition in that linebacker room so I’m trying not to get left behind. I’ve gotten better, the whole group has gotten better as a whole.”
But while he’s relishing his new digs, it was clear that CFP title game was still fresh in Jones’ mind when he was asked about some of his memories. He even spoke to the oddity of playing a game on the road, but wearing their home Clemson orange in New Orleans. There are even times when he sits down for a film session with his LSU teammates, and he sees clips from his team's 42-25 loss — or what he would now consider a team win — at the Superdome.
"I’m watching my old team play and it’s like, 'oh everyone looks so happy in that moment,' but I’ve been on the other side where we’re all heartbroken,” Jones said. "So it’s been interesting. I appreciate all the moments, though."
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