DaQuan Jones Season 2012

DaQuan Jones made his presence felt in the middle of the defensive line in 2012 during his first year as a starter, helping the Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense. But, as is the case every year in intercollegiate athletics, when Jones lines up in the 2013 opener with Syracuse, he will see several new faces to his left and right, with four defensive linemen having graduated from last year[apos]s unit. Jones will be counted on to mentor and guide a host of young Nittany Lions in the locker room and on the field and provide tenacity and productivity in the middle of the trenches. The former Johnson City Senior High School standout has excellent physical attributes and possesses a challenging combination of size, strength and quickness. Selected third-team preseason All-Big Ten by Phil Steele[apos]s College Football Preview, Jones has the ability to occupy and fight through multiple offensive linemen to provide more opportunities for teammates to make plays when he[apos]s not in the backfield himself. Jones[apos] talents, desire and fierce work-ethic in the strength and conditioning program have seen him drop 15 pounds, while increasing his strength and have him primed for a strong senior season. He is among the squad members who has bench pressed more than 400 pounds. Jones is a criminology major and spent a portion of his summer as an intern observing the Spring Township Police Department near State College.

2012 Junior Season
Jones secured a starting role during training camp and started the first 11 games. He played an instrumental role for a defense that ranked second in the Big Ten and No. 16 nationally in scoring defense at 19.1 ppg, holding six teams to 17 or fewer points. Jones recorded 22 tackles, with 2.0 tackles for loss and one-half sack, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. In his first career start, Jones made four tackles against Ohio. He recorded 1.5 TFL among his four stops in the 34-7 win over Navy and had one-half sack among his two hits in the 35-7 victory at Illinois. Jones had one tackle and a pass breakup in the 39-28 comeback win over No. 24 Northwestern. He recovered a fumble inside the Iowa red zone that led to a touchdown and a 24-0 second-quarter lead en route to a 38-14 decision over the Hawkeyes. Jones had two hits at No. 18 Nebraska, made one tackle in the win over Indiana and had three stops in the 24-21 Senior Day overtime victory against Wisconsin.

2011 Sophomore Season
Jones was a top reserve at defensive tackle and played in every game, recording eight tackles, including four solo stops. He made two hits each in the wins over Indiana State and Eastern Michigan. Jones saw action on 247 snaps, including a high of 30 against Houston and 29 at Wisconsin in the battle for the Leaders Division title.

2010 Freshman Season
The coaching staff held Jones out of the initial four games for a possible redshirt season, but his play in practice and potential got him on the field. He made his debut in the Big Ten-opener at Iowa and played in the final nine games. Jones played tackle most of the season, but was forced to play defensive end against Illinois in his second game, when injuries knocked three ends from the field. One of seven true freshmen to play, Jones made six tackles, with two tackles for loss and a sack. Jones had a season-high three hits at Ohio State, including a tackle for minus-three yards. He made two solo stops against Florida in the 2011 Outback Bowl, including a sack for minus-four yards. He saw action on 168 snaps, topped by 58 against Illinois.

High School
Rated as the No. 2 offensive lineman by Rivals.com, Jones was a standout on both sides of the ball for Coach Fred Deinhardt at Johnson City High School. A Scout.com four-star player, Jones tallied 70 tackles during his junior season. He also recorded three sacks and recovered four fumbles. He was a football and basketball team captain and also a member of the track and field team.

Personal
Full name is DaQuan S. Jones. His parents are Steve Jones and Vaile Newborn. He has two brothers, Devon Newborn and Dashaun Jones. He enjoys spending time with friends and playing basketball. He is studying criminology. Born December 17, 1991 in Johnson City, N.Y.