'He's Been Phenomenal': Indiana Football LB Isaiah Jones in Midst of Breakout Season

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Illinois used two blockers with hopes of stopping Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones. The Fighting Illini should've used three.

On a pop-pass to running back Ca'Lil Valentine early in the first quarter, Illinois tight end Tanner Arkin stepped up to block Jones, who appeared barely hindered as he strolled into the Fighting Illini's backfield. Running back Kaden Feagin, who stands 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, was the next line of protection.

Jones slipped through a crease, and as Valentine tried to reverse field, Jones stopped him in his track.

That was Jones' first tackle-for-loss in the Hoosiers' 63-10 victory over Illinois in Week 4. His second came two drives later, an all-important third down sack of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer. Jones rapidly disposed of Feagin, zeroed in on Altmyer and dropped the Fighting Illini's signal caller before he'd even checked off his second read.

With an emphatic swing of his right arm, Jones roared at the record-setting sell-out crowd. He'd already announced his presence to his teammates, coaches and Indiana fans. But this — under the Memorial Stadium lights against a top-10 opponent on NBC — was a coming-out party in one of college football's biggest early-season games.

"You see him celebrating every game," senior linebacker Aiden Fisher said. "He's doing a great job. He's been phenomenal."

Jones is in the midst of a breakout redshirt junior season.

Entering the No. 11 Hoosiers' 3:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday against Iowa, Jones leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and 12 run stops and is tied for the team lead with three sacks. He's also collected 16 tackles — four in each game and fourth most on the team — despite playing only 89 defensive snaps.

Jones is one of 11 FBS players with at least 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, according to NCAA.com, and he's one of just four linebackers to accomplish the feat, joining USC's Eric Gentry, UConn's Bryun Parham and Louisiana Tech's Mekhi Mason.

The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Jones, who played in 13 games and made two starts last season, began the season identifiable to Hoosier diehards but largely a footnote on a defense full of prominent names. He's no longer unknown or unheralded.

And it's entirely unsurprising to those who spend each day inside the walls of Memorial Stadium.

"We've known Isaiah was a guy for a long time now," Fisher said. "It was really just a matter of time when he got his opportunity to get in, and he's taking full advantage of it every single week. And that starts in practice — he's done a great job."

Jones serves as Indiana's No. 3 linebacker, playing alongside Fisher and sophomore Rolijah Hardy in trio packages to combat heavier offensive formations, such as plays with two tight ends. It's particularly important in the Big Ten, where teams like Iowa and Illinois try to impose their physicality with bigger personnel packages.

The third linebacker spot is a niche role, but one Jones is familiar with — he played 178 defensive snaps last season, a blend between two-linebacker sets late in blowout wins and appearances in three-linebacker sets during Big Ten play.

The London, Ohio, native collected 42 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack in 2024. According to IU Athletics, Jones recorded nine special teams tackles last season, which tied for the Big Ten lead and was tied for second in the Power Four.

Among players with at least 200 special teams snaps, his 77.4 special teams grade ranked No. 6 in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the Power Four, according to Pro Football Focus.

While Jones flew under the radar on special teams, he remained steadfast on bettering himself as a linebacker.

A holdover from Indiana's previous coaching staff who played in only two games in 2023 due to a back injury, Jones didn't view being buried behind Fisher and All-Big Ten honorable mention Jailin Walker in a negative light. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to grow.

Fisher said from the moment he and several other James Madison transfers arrived at Indiana for winter workouts in January of 2024, Jones impressed with his mentality and desire to learn.

"He's been engaged in the playbook. He's always asking questions," Fisher said. "He stays in everybody's hip pocket, whether that's Coach (Bryant) Haines, J-Walk (Jailin Walker), me — anything he can do to just absorb knowledge and be the best version of himself. He does all the right things."

The 22-year-old Jones graduated in three years with a degree in management from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2024. He graduated with honors from London High School in 2022.

Jones' book smarts translate to the field, where Cignetti described him as a savvy veteran capable of playing two different positions. Jones has proven versatile this fall, playing 67 snaps at his traditional linebacker spot, 12 snaps in the slot outside the box and nine snaps on the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus.

Yet no matter where he's aligned, he's made an impact.

"I think what you're seeing there is just another year of maturity," Cignetti said. "Got to play last year quite a bit. And he's just, the natural progression of reps accumulating, bigger, stronger, faster, older, wiser, that kind of thing."

Jones has already set career highs in sacks and tackles for loss, but his evolution as a player is evident beyond the stat sheet. Last season, he became noticeable. This year, he's become undeniable.

"He took a step," Fisher said. "Just physically playing, but I think mentally the game has slowed down for him. He started to see things a lot quicker. He comes in and watches film with me. We watch film with Coach Haines. In the meeting room, he's answering quick.

"He's so confident in himself, and I think that's really what you're seeing every Saturday, is the confidence he's playing with. He's done a great job and he's playing phenomenally right now."

Cignetti said at Big Ten Media Days in July that he's looking to build on, not just sustain, Indiana's success from last season, which netted an 11-2 record — the first double-digit-win campaign in school history — and a trip to the College Football Playoff.

The Hoosiers have delivered thus far. They're 4-0, have the second-best margin of victory (37.7 points) in the FBS and are top three in both total offense and total defense. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday he believes Indiana is better than it was last year.

Jones is following a similar arc. His role is bigger than ever, and his confidence higher than ever. He's risen from anonymity to stardom with a classic Midwest formula rooted in hard work and dedication.

Now, Jones gets to celebrate his ascent each Saturday — often in the opposing backfield, and occasionally after beating not one, but two, blockers to get there.