Michigan State University Athletics
Taiwan Jones: The Man in the Middle
11/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Matt Bontorin, MSU Athletic Communications Student Assistant
It has been no secret that since the arrival of head coach Mark Dantonio in 2007, the Spartans have emphasized winning with defense. While Michigan State has seen success on both sides of the ball, the defense has become the program's identity.
The Spartans have ranked in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Top 10 in total defense for the last three seasons, and enter Saturday's game against Rutgers ranked ninth in the FBS. The revolving door of talent has seen great players at each position, but perhaps none more productive or impactful than the middle linebacker spot.
The Dantonio era has seen the likes of consensus first-team All-American Greg Jones and third-team All-American Max Bullough, both of whom have gone on to sign NFL contracts.
Enter the imposing 6-foot-3, 252-pound senior Taiwan Jones. A two-year starter at weakside linebacker, Jones was asked by the coaching staff to step in for his former teammate and close friend Max Bullough, coming into the 2014 season.
While Jones had already made 123 tackles in 41 games for the Spartans, the transition from outside linebacker to middle linebacker had the potential to be daunting. With the responsibility of having to get the defense lined up before every play, Jones needed to dedicate himself to the film room and become the cerebral leader that his predecessors were.
"I accepted the challenge," said Jones. "I was really looking forward to it. I played outside the past three years, but I felt like I could come into the middle and make an impact. I felt like in order to make an impact though I would need to devote myself to studying the past players and how they played this position."
The expectation to fill in as the team's leader on defense was something that Jones was not anticipating, but nonetheless prepared for. As a highly ranked recruit in high school, Jones was accustomed to having to deal with high expectations.
Jones grew up in New Baltimore, Michigan, and was a three-year starter for Coach Phil Latona at Anchor Bay High School. As a senior, he accounted for more than 1,400 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns as a running back, leading the Tars to their first playoff appearance since 2004.
 | "I accepted the challenge. I was really looking forward to (playing middle linebacker). I played outside the past three years, but I felt like I could come into the middle and make an impact. I felt like in order to make an impact though I would need to devote myself to studying the past players and how they played this position." |
Despite his success, Jones still viewed his recruitment by the Michigan State coaching staff as a surprise due to the perception of Anchor Bay as a non-traditional football power.
"I thought it was an honor for them to come out and take their time to recruit me out of Anchor Bay," said Jones. "Nobody has really come out of there playing football. It was nice to see that they cared about me enough to visit me."
Jones and his parents took many college visits to see what schools around the country offered both athletically and academically, but became enamored with Michigan State after taking multiple visits throughout his high school career. While he and his family saw the potential that the football program had, they were equally impressed with the wide variety of academic options and support the school offered.
"Growing up, every year my parents would take my sister and I on college tours," said Jones. "We visited schools like Texas, Miami, Florida State and Clemson. I had schools in mind that I wanted to go to but when I came up here to Michigan State it all changed. I felt right at home as soon as I stepped on campus."
The approval of Michigan State from his family was the deciding factor in his commitment to the Spartan family. Jones describes his parents, Clarence and Kecia, as his best friends and role models.
"My family means everything to me," said Jones. "I talk to them before games and after games. They are definitely my motivation. My dad played sports so he understands where I come from, having already gone through what I'm going through."
Jones was randomly assigned the number 34 as a freshman but says he's kept it because it was the number his father wore when he was a college basketball player at Bristol University in Tennessee.
"I try and keep them in my life any way I can," said Jones. "When I got the number I thought it was a blessing."
Jones also acknowledges his parents as the ones who have made him a strong man of faith. As a member of Athletes in Action, an organization which aims to connect followers of Christ through the platform of sports, Jones has gone on mission trips to keep his faith at the forefront of his life.
"My parents and I grew up in the church," said Jones. "We'd get up every Sunday and go to church and on Wednesday we would go to bible study. My parents put it in my head when I was younger so when I got here nothing changed. I just continued to grow in my faith."
Jones also continued to grow on the field. As a true freshman, Jones made an immediate impact, appearing in all 14 games and collecting 18 tackles. Jones attributes his early success to Bullough.
"Max [Bullough] was my roommate my freshman year in camp," said Jones. "He gave me a lot of good advice on how to get onto the field right away. I gained a lot of knowledge and a lot of insight on the game and how it's played just by being around him."
Jones continued to improve, and after a strong sophomore season in 2012, he was awarded the full-time starting Star (weakside) linebacker position in 2013 next to Bullough and Denicos Allen on what proved to be one of the all-time great defenses in Spartan history. Jones broke out for a career-high 67 tackles, including a team-high eight tackles in the Spartans win over Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl Game.
Since stepping into the middle linebacker position, Jones has become one of the anchors of the defensive unit, ranking tied for second on the team with 47 tackles and third with a career-best 10.5 tackles for loss while also getting the defensive front-seven in order before each snap.
He fully realized his potential at middle linebacker in the victory over No. 19 Nebraska in the Big Ten opener. Jones recorded a career-high 10 tackles, including three for losses, as the Spartans limited the nation's then-No. 2 rushing attack to a season-low 47 yards rushing.
"I was proud of Taiwan," said linebackers coach Mike Tressel following Jones' impressive performance against the Huskers. "He probably played his best football game since he's been here. He was productive, he was physical, and the effort and communication were always there. It was fun to watch."
Jones recognizes his progression has been a product of the men in the middle that came before him.
"They gave me the tools to be in the position that I am in today," said Jones. "I still look up to those guys and if I ever need anything I just text them. They're still in my life and will be in my life for a very long time."
This feature was originally published in the Nov. 8 edition of Michigan State Football Gameday Magazine. Jones will be one of 20 seniors recognized in a pregame ceremony Saturday at Spartan Stadium on Senior Day.
