Chad Jones announced Monday that he will enter the NFL draft, ending his career as a lefthander/outfielder and a free safety for Louisiana State.
"My heart will always be at LSU, especially with my coaches and teammates who played an instrumental role in my college football and baseball experiences," Jones said in a statement e-mailed by his father to several news outlets. "I know another season at LSU would be fun and successful and that I could accomplish more on the field with the Tigers, but this opportunity with the NFL is impossible for me to pass."
An electric athlete with premium arm strength, speed and power potential, Jones was a key lefthander out of LSU's bullpen in the Tigers' run to the 2009 national title. But he was a second-team all-Southeastern Conference selection at safety this fall, and he has a chance to be picked in the top two rounds of the NFL draft this spring.
The Tigers have plenty of talent returning but not a lot of depth, and they were counting on Jones filling a valuable two-way role this spring. His decision is certainly a bit of a blow to their hopes of repeating as champions, and it puts added pressure on unproven players like sophomore outfielder Johnny Dishon and power-armed righthander Mitch Mormann to emerge as key players this spring.
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Too bad, Jones was one of the most exciting players at the College World Series last year.
Posted by Luke Gude | January 11, 2010 at 6:35 pm | ShortcutI'm not sure it's that huge of a blow. Remember, if he did stay he still would have missed about a month of the season with spring football. As he showed last year, it's not easy to just pick up a bat after a month off and jump right back in. Especially when others have been playing every day and have already settled into their roles. At this point, he wouldn't have been starting in the outfield anyway.
Posted by Andy | January 11, 2010 at 9:25 pm | ShortcutNow as for having a lefty in the bullpen, that is always soemthing you can never have enough of.
I agree, Andy — it’s not a huge blow, but it’s a bit of a blow, mostly because of his presence in the bullpen. As you say, he wasn’t likely to start in the outfield over Mahtook, Landry and Watkins anyway, although I think LSU was hoping he could jump in and DH right away. Regardless, the Tigers should be fine.
Posted by Aaron Fitt | January 12, 2010 at 11:07 am | ShortcutJones said from the start that baseball was his #1 love. Too bad we're losing him to football. I was hoping he'd pull a Mitchell and concentate on baseball, especially after his big CWS
Posted by Buzz | January 14, 2010 at 1:08 pm | ShortcutA bit off topic Aaron, but when can we expect to see a pre-season All-American list and season previews start to come out? Who do you see filling Jones' role in the pen?
Posted by Justin | January 14, 2010 at 1:34 pm | ShortcutOur College Preview content will get started with the Top 25 on Jan. 28. The All-America team will be released the week before the season gets started. As for LSU’s pen, I could see Chris Matulis being the primary lefty out of the bullpen. It’s unclear how they’re going to use Forrest Garrett, but he’s going to be very good, and he could certainly hold down that role also.
Posted by Aaron Fitt | January 14, 2010 at 2:04 pm | ShortcutAny chance of Alsup? Saw him start a game last year and looked good, but then didn't look good in other outings.
Posted by Justin | January 15, 2010 at 1:42 pm | ShortcutI agree with the others that Jones won't be a huge loss. His contributions last year were impressive yet not that significant. I think football is his best sport, but think he could definitely have used another year since he has been somewhat inconsistent.
Posted by Kenny | January 22, 2010 at 5:42 pm | ShortcutI'm going to make a prediction and say that Dishon will be playing everyday by the end of the season. This kid is a force on the diamond. Legit 6.5 speed and he knows how to use it. He has a cannon for an arm. He adds a lot of power at the plate, especially for a guy with his frame. If he can cut down on the strikeouts, I see him being a starting OF for much of the season.
Posted by Ryan | February 2, 2010 at 7:47 pm | Shortcut