With just over two and a half minutes left in the third quarter of its season-opener against Old Dominion University, Indiana football redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones logged his first career solo sack, forcing the Monarchs into a third and 12.
On the next play, Jones teamed up with sixth-year senior defensive back Louis Moore to stop Old Dominion short of the first-down mark, decimating their chances at staging a 27-7 comeback.
After redshirting his freshman year and spending the next two seasons in a reserve role, Jones has blossomed into a key piece, fortifying the Hoosiers’ linebacker unit.
“I think what you're seeing there is just another year of maturity,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said during media availability Sept. 22. “He was on the team before I got hired. Had a back issue, so missed a lot of the season before. 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.”
The London, Ohio, native was ranked the No. 20 overall player in Ohio by 247Sports and tabbed as a three-star recruit before enrolling at Indiana in 2022.
Jones flashed as a rotational piece in 2024, collecting 42 total tackles and 3.5 tackles-for-loss across 13 appearances and two starts.
But the Hoosiers lost linebacker Jailin Walker in the offseason, which left a gap at the position, and Jones took full advantage.
Now, he has cemented himself as a cornerstone of the Hoosiers’ defense, leading the Cream and Crimson with eight tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks through their first five games of the season. However, Jones’ impact on the field extends beyond the stats, as he has established himself as a vocal presence in the locker room.
“Just being able to you know, find myself, you know, find my voice as a player and a leader on the team,” Jones said on an episode of the “Under the Hood with Indiana Football” podcast on Sept. 17. “And just kind of just doing my job and letting guys know that I can complete my job and have confidence in me.”
The redshirt junior strung together a career game against Indiana State University on Sept. 12. Jones wreaked havoc on the Sycamores’ offense throughout the evening, registering four total tackles, with 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and a sack.
Jones followed up his career outing against then-No. 9 Illinois on Sept. 20, as the Fighting Illini offensive line struggled to contain Jones. The redshirt junior sliced into the backfield to rack up two tackles-for-loss and a solo sack, contributing to a loss of 18 yards for the Illinois offense. Jones’ defensive energy propelled the Hoosiers to a commanding 63-10 victory in the ranked matchup.
While much of the sold-out crowd at Memorial Stadium may not have known his name before kickoff, Jones’ performance commanded attention from the Hoosier faithful.
After the dominant win over Illinois, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher lavished Jones with praise.
“He does all the right things,” Fisher said. “This year he took a step, 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.”
Jones’ weekly work ethic paid dividends in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hoosiers defeated the Hawkeyes 20-15 at Kinnick Stadium — a hostile road environment —where Jones extended his impact to special teams.
Facing a fourth and 7 from their own 29-yard line in the third quarter, the Hawkeyes sent their punt unit onto the field. But the Hoosiers began their next possession in prime field position at their own 42-yard line, after Jones blocked the punt — the first blocked kick of his career.
The rise of Jones from a backup to a leader and breakout star on the Indiana defense has helped power the Hoosiers to a 5-0 start to the 2025 season and established a defensive unit that has surrendered just 221.4 yards per game —— the fifth lowest mark in the nation.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
