Hard-hitting hybrid

• By RANDY ROSETTA
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Aug 28, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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If Chad Jones has his way this season, opponents will grow very weary of his No. 3 jersey.

And should the LSU sophomore get that wish, there’s no telling where Tigers foes will have to focus their attention.

Listed as a safety, Jones is fast enough to shift to cornerback and is nearly big enough to make the transition to linebacker.

At 6-foot-3 and in the 220-pound range, Jones has transformed his already impressive frame into the kind that catches your attention as soon as he steps off the bus.

Even more so when he steps on the field.

“I have bulked up a lot since I got here last summer and I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” said Jones, who isn’t listed as a starter for LSU’s opener against Appalachian State at 4 p.m. Saturday. But he figures to be on the field plenty against the Mountaineers’ high-octane spread offense.

Whether it’s in the nickel or dime pass defense packages, when the Tigers need an extra cover man or even if he slides up to linebacker, Jones will be a focal point of the game plan.

“I definitely want to be a starter, and in my heart I think of myself as a safety, but as long as I’m on the field a nice little bit like I have been, I know I can play a big role for us,” Jones said. “I’ve learned more about our defense, so I know where to be at the right time no matter what position I’m playing.”

Where that might be will be up to LSU co-defensive coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto.

As a defensive back, Jones is “a monster,” said Jai Eugene. If he plays some linebacker, Jones could make life miserable to running backs accustomed to running away from bigger linebackers.

“When I’m playing corner or safety, I’ve got a big body that I can put on receivers and get physical with them, jam them at the line of scrimmage and mess up their routes, but I’m also fast enough to run with them,” Jones said. “I’ve got the size and weight to play linebacker, but I’m faster than most linebackers and get to the ball quicker and can make things happen.”

While he might seem like a man without a specific position, Jones prefers to see himself as a hybrid of all three positions. That’s what the Tigers coaches see, as well.

“He’s a hybrid because he’s gotten so big, but he’s athletic enough to play safety and wherever he’s at, he’s capable,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “He’ll play any number of spots in the secondary.”