Syracuse Football: Linebacker Mikel Jones is off to a stellar start in 2020

Syracuse football sophomore linebacker Mikel Jones is crushing things so far in the fall term, a bright spot in the Orange defensive line-up.

Despite its 0-2 start and anemic offense, the Syracuse football defense has proven solid, if not relatively strong, and a big part of that success is sophomore linebacker Mikel Jones.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Jones, whose hometown is in Miami, notched his first career interception on Sept. 12, when the Orange fell to then-No. 18 North Carolina, 31-6, in the 2020 term opener on the road in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Then, a week later, as the ‘Cuse lost at No. 25 Pittsburgh, 21-10, from Heinz Field, Jones registered both a fumble recovery and a second interception of the fall stanza.

To date in the 2020 campaign, he also boasts 11 total tackles as well as two quarterback hurries, according to Jones’ bio on cuse.com.

Syracuse football sophomore linebacker Mikel Jones is performing admirably in 2020, and he was also excellent last year.

As a freshman in the 2019 season, Jones suited up in all 12 encounters as Syracuse football went 5-7. He recorded four starts, three at strong-side linebacker and one at weak-side linebacker, per cuse.com.

Additionally, Jones led all Syracuse freshmen players in tackles, with 38, in 2019, and he had two tackles for loss, half a sack and one pass break-up. His cuse.com bio says that Jones got named by Pro Football Focus to its All-Freshman third team.

In the Orange’s final clash of 2019, on Nov. 30, Syracuse football outlasted Wake Forest, 39-30 in overtime, from the Carrier Dome. Jones put forth quite a performance, starting at weak-side linebacker and tallying a personal high of 10 tackles and that one pass break-up.

A member of the 2019 recruiting cycle, Jones attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The 247Sports Composite slotted him as a three-star high-school prospect, the No. 437 player nationally in his class, the No. 24 outside linebacker and the No. 52 guy in the state of Florida.