The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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40 ■ THE WOLFPACKER achieve what Wilson and for- mer NC State safety Earl Wolff have, with the latter currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. The 6-2, 215-pounder has the size and speed — he be- lieves he can clock 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash — and the game is starting to slow down for him. "I'm a pretty consistent 215 pounds, usually around 210- 215 every day," Jones said. "My last 40 was a year ago spring and it was a hand-timed 4.4. That equals money [in the NFL Draft one day]. Yes sir." Jones said his family mo- tivates him to excel, and the Walled Lake, Mich., native knows individuals back home are looking up to him. "The tools that God has blessed me to have, if I'm able to continue to do what I'm do- ing, he's really blessed me to play this game," Jones said. "I want to help my mom out. "It's really not about me, but the dudes and little kids that look up to me back home. I re- ally don't just play this game for me, more like just 10 per- cent for me." Jones was focused during NC State's spring practices, which culminated in the Kay Yow Spring Game April 11. "I just took it one day at a time and have been working hard," Jones said. "I'm just doing what I have to do to help the team, and I'm just doing my job." NC State head coach Dave Doeren dished out some strong praise Jones' way during the spring. "Josh Jones has probably been the best of the best in the back end this spring," Do- eren said. "He's been productive, he's been active, and he's been tackling well and in control of what he's doing." Jones is enjoying how much the game has slowed down for him, and his feel for the team defense keeps growing and grow- ing. "It is just very different and I know ev- erything," Jones said. "I'm not out there thinking at all. It's just, 'Go, go, go.' It isn't about thinking, just reacting. "When it is, 'Go, go, go,' it's a different Josh Jones. He's a beast out there, beast mode." Having fellow safeties Hakim Jones, a rising fifth-year senior, and Dravious Wright, a redshirt sophomore, to feed off of has also helped him out. "There is so much chemistry out there," Jones said. "We played with each other the whole year last year. Dravious and I play on the same side the whole time, so we know what to expect from each other. Hakim is the older guy back there, and all three of us are on the same page." Jones and Wright have both come a long way since getting picked on at the be- ginning of last year. "We were so young out there," Jones said about play- ing Georgia Southern in the 2014 season opener. "I know my head was spinning out there. I had redshirted my freshman year, and then I'm playing in front of 60,000- plus people. "You get out on the field and start thinking about 'What if I mess up?'" Jones cited the Boston College game as what helped turn around his season. He led NC State with 13 tackles in the 30-14 loss Oct. 11 in a lightning-marred contest at Carter-Finley Stadium. "I thought I played average last season and was up and down, but one game I played good was against Boston College," Jones said. "It was a physical game. It all started to come together toward the end of the year. I understood the purpose at practice. You practice good, that is how you are going to play." White called it "letting it loose" against the Eagles be- cause Jones learned he didn't have anything to lose. "He just played as hard as he could and did what the coaches have been telling him to do," White said. "He had the attitude of, 'Let's see what happens and go from there.' He was flying around at full speed and was taking good angles." Cutting down mistakes and taking proper angles are crucial to the safety position, since they are normally one of the last lines of defense. Jones can be a thumper in run support, but he also needs to be a ball hawk in the passing game. His interception against Syracuse helped deliver the win for NC State. "My man-to-man coverage can improve every day," Jones said. "My run support can also improve. I can't get complacent, and just trying to get better. Being a bigger DB, I'm trying to work on my man-to-man coverage." Three more quality years in Raleigh and perhaps future NC State safeties could be talking about how they want to meet Jones one day. ■ Jones made a career-high and team-leading 13 tackles in NC State's 30-14 loss to Boston College last season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN "Josh Jones has probably been the best of the best in the back end this spring. He's been productive, he's been active, and he's been tackling well and in control of what he's doing." ■ NC State head coach Dave Doeren