LSU safety and pitcher/outfielder Chad Jones is leaving school for the 2010 NFL Draft.

His father, Al Jones, sent the following e-mail to the Advocate and several other media outlets.

Louisiana State University football free safety, Chad Jones, announced today his plans to enter the 2010 National Football League draft, forfeiting his senior year on the field for football and his last two seasons of baseball for the university.

The decision to enter the NFL draft this year didn’t come easy for Jones whose loyalty to his Tiger teams and coaches is hard to beat.  “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.  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,” said Jones.

The New Orleans native started his career at St. Augustine High School before evacuating to Southern Lab High School in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina.  A two-sport athlete, Jones was considered the number one safety in America and was also a star outfielder and left-handed pitcher in high school.  In fact, Jones was drafted in 2007 by the Houston Astros to play Major League Baseball, but decided instead to attend LSU on a football scholarship to play both football and baseball for the Tigers that same year.

That decision to go to college made history when Jones earned two National Championship titles at LSU – 2007 for football and 2009 for baseball.

“Since I was a kid growing up in a family with a strong football tradition, I’ve always dreamed of playing football in college and hoped one day I’d make it to the NFL,” said Jones. “After many discussions with my family and Coach Miles, I feel it’s the right time for me to enter the NFL draft.”

Jones’ father, Al Jones, played football for Tulane and served as captain of the 1978 team.  His older brother and football teammate at LSU, Rahim Alem, also has SEC honors, including 2008 All SEC defensive end, plans to enter the NFL in 2010 as well. 

“It’s very rare to have brothers play for the same university at the same time,” said Al Jones, father of Chad Jones and Rahim Alem.  “It is also rare for brothers to be in the same NFL draft class. This is an exciting time for the family,” added Patti Jones, mother of the two athletes.

A leader on the field, Jones has been named 2009 Second-Team All SEC, 2007 Freshman All-American, 2007 Freshman All SEC, SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, and Walter Camp National Defense Player of the Week, to name a few.

The 21-year old finished his college football career at the Capital One Bowl where the Tigers fell to Penn State 19 to 17.  Over his career in football at LSU, Jones played in 40 games posting a 29-11 record where he fought for 157 tackles and 5 interceptions.

Jones will select agent and begin training for the upcoming NFL Combines in the coming days.

LSU coach Les Miles drove a final nail in the coffin Friday of any rumblings that offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will be dismissed or is leaving the staff on his own.

Here's my final poll. I gotta keep Texas at No. 2 because if not for two turnovers by a freshman quarterback under those circumstances leading to 14 Alabama points, I think the game is much different.

That said, I was very impressed with the Crimson Tide, along with Boise State and TCU in what might've been the bowl game of the year.

And I think the Big Ten bashing can be pushed to the backburner after seeing what that league's top four teams did. Hard to top beating Oregon, Georgia Tech, LSU and Miami.

1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Boise State
4. Florida
5. TCU
6.  Ohio State
7. Iowa
8. Penn State
9. Cincinnati
10. BYU
11. Virginia Tech
12. Oregon
13. Georgia Tech
14. Pittsburgh
15. Utah
16. Wisconsin
17. Nebraska
18. Ole Miss
19. LSU
20. Oklahoma State
21. Southern Cal
22. Central Michigan
23. Texas Tech
24. Navy
25. Miami
 

Also, the final picks count for me and Advocate cohort Gary Laney ( I may demand a recount):

Laney 200-90 .690
Rosetta 199-91 .686

Here's a  blurb from LSU media relations about a handful of seniors headed to the various all-star games.

A note ... Tiger Tracks will remain active throughout the offseason and I will post updates as needed. We may set up a postseason online chat next week after a season wrap-up package runs this weekend in the newspaper.

From LSU media relations

Six members of the 2009 LSU football team have been invited to compete in post-season all-star games, four going to the Under Armour Senior Bowl and two participating in the East-West Shrine Game, organizers for both contests have announced.

LSU running back Charles Scott, offensive tackle Ciron Black, linebacker Harry Coleman and wide receiver Brandon LaFell will all take part in the Senior Bowl later this month in Mobile, Ala. The Senior Bowl will be played on Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and will be televised by the NFL Network. 

Scott, who missed the final four games of the 2009 season with an injury, capped his LSU career ranked fourth in school history in rushing touchdowns (32) and seventh in rushing yards (2,317).

Black recently set the LSU record for career starts and games played at 53. Black, the recipient of the 2009 Jacobs Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the SEC, played and started in every game of his career with the Tigers and was twice named to the all-conference team.

Coleman was named the LSU most valuable player for the Tigers as he ranked third on the team with 82 tackles to go along with nine tackles for losses and four sacks.

LaFell made the most of his decision to return to school for his senior year by ranking among the leaders in the Southeastern Conference with 57 catches for 792 yards and 11 touchdowns. LaFell, a two-time All-SEC pick, finished his LSU career among the all-time leaders at the school in receptions (175), yards (2,517) and touchdowns (25).

The Tigers will be represented in the 85th East-West Shrine Game by defensive end Rahim Alem and tight end Richard Dickson. The East-West Shrine Game will be played in Orlando on Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.

Dickson, a four year starter and a two-time All-SEC selection, capped his LSU career as the most prolific tight end in school history with 90 catches for 952 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Alem earned first-team All-SEC honors as a junior in 2008 and he finished his career with the Tigers with 25.5 tackles for losses and 14.5 sacks.

Collin Wagner's 21-yard field goal with 57 seconds to go gave No. 11 Penn State a 19-17 victory against No. 13 LSU in the Capital One Bowl.

Click here for a recap.

LSU has hung in despite not doing much on offense and only trails 16-10 as we go to the final quarter.

Just like late in the second quarter, a Tiger turnover in their own territory -- a fumble by Stevan Ridley at the LSU 22 -- led to three Penn State points. Collin Wagner's third field goal, a 20-yarder with 2:27 to go in the third quarter, gave Penn State a 16-3 edge.

But LSU responded on the ensuing drive after a short Penn State kickoff. Jordan Jefferson hit Brandon LaFell for a 24-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds to go in the quarter.

The bright spots for LSU are numerous, given its poor play on offense for most of the game. The Tigers have to minimize its mistakes and try to build off its late third-quarter drive if they want their 10th victory of the season.

We're going to halftime, and LSU hopes to find its offense in the locker room.

The big play of the second quarter occurred with 3:48 to go in the half when Tiger receiver Terrance Toliver dropped a pass that was subsequently intercepted by A.J. Wallace at the LSU 23. But Penn State could only muster an 18-yard field goal from Collin Wagner to keep the Tigers from suffering a huge psychological blow.

The Tigers have been thisclose on a handful of plays, including an incomplete third-and-26 pass attempt to Rueben Randle that almost resulted in an 83-yard LSU touchdown. Josh Jasper's 25-yard field goal 45 seconds into the first half accounts for the Tigers' only points of the half.

The only thing LSU's offense has done flawlessly is the quarterback-center exchange, which is more than Penn State can claim. The Nittany Lions have botched several snaps in the first 30 minutes.

But the Tigers haven't been able to run or throw with any degree of success and have just two first downs and 69 total yards. Without a change in that trend, Penn State's two-score advantage will be insurmountable for LSU to overcome.




 

An old adage that a wet field benefits the offenses hasn't held true -- at least not for most of the quarter.

LSU had just one first down until the final minute of the quarter, and the Tigers picked that up on an 18-yard completion on their first play from scrimmage. But Brandon LaFell caught a short and low throw from Jordan Jefferson and turned it into a 36-yard completion to the Penn State 11. The Tigers will start the second quarter with a third-and-15 from the PSU 16.

LSU's inability to consistently run the ball successfully during the regular season is holding true so far. If that doesn't change, the key to the game may end up being Jefferson's ability to throw the ball accurately with a wet ball. So far, he hasn't been able to do that.

The Tiger defense held up well for the most part until late in the first quarter. Penn State gashed LSU for two big passing plays, including Daryll Clark's 37-yard touchdown pass to Derek Moye with 1:54 to go in the quarter.

The state of Florida has a monopoly on the early bowl schedule on New Year's Day. And given the relative proximity of Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, it's no surprise that there is rain at every bowl outpost this morning.

In Orlando, Erin Andrews, on ESPN, gave a preview of the LSU-Penn State Capital One Bowl under cover with rain visible as teams went through early warm-ups.

In the Outback Bowl in Tampa, much of the first half of the Northwestern-Auburn game was played in the rain. The Tigers lead 21-7 at halftime.

And Bobby Bowden entered the stadium in Jacksonville for the final game of his coaching career to cheering fans holding umbrellas. Florida State takes on his former school West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. It's fitting that Bowden's game will go head-to-head with LSU's matchup with Joe Paterno. Bowden and Paterno have spent the last few years dueling for the all-time record for victories in FBS history, a contest that Paterno finally won (393 to 388, at the moment).

I'll update the happenings of the LSU-Penn State contest once per quarter from my home office (actually, the living room) in south Louisiana, with both eyes on the ABC broadcast.

Judging by the TV feed, the rain appears to have stopped for now. But the field at the Florida Citrus Bowl is a mess. There are visible mud spots everywhere and there are plenty of spots where the grass came up during warm-ups. The field took a beating earlier in the week during the Champs Sports Bowl contest between Miami and Wisconsin.

LSU won the coin toss and deferred its option until the second half. So Penn State goes out on offense first.

The Tigers are in their traditional white jerseys, yellow helmets and yellow jerseys. Penn State is in its logoless, but single-striped white helmets and stripeless white pants with navy blue jerseys and white helmets. Two classic college football uniforms in play today.