The Northern Iowa commitment delivered in an important win against previously unbeaten Glenwood Friday night. Six of his 7.5 tackles were solo stops. He collected 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks during the 27-13 win. Jones is a disruptive defender capable of blowing up the opposition’s plans. It creates turnovers and negative plays that disable the offense. He succeeds with a impressive combination of strength and athleticism. Jones overpowers smaller guys and is too fast for bigger ones. The Panthers did well in securing his pledge, and they might receiver another up-close look at him during the state championships at the UNI-Dome in November.

Senior LB Xavier Jones Xavier Jones 6'2" | 200 lbs | LB/TE Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2027 State IA is the leader at ILB for the Warriors. The U.N.I. Panther commit is off to a quick start with 14.0 tackles and is playing at a high level. Jones moves very well sideline to sideline and has a 6’8 wingspan and uses that to his advantage when chasing down ball carriers who try to avoid Jones snatching them up on their outside or inside cut. Jones will be very busy this Friday trying to hold down two very productive running backs for the Rams.

Jones will be headed to Northern Iowa next season, a fierce linebacker recruit with a lot of upside. First, he’ll look to help Sergeant Bluff-Luton back to the UNI-Dome for a third year in a row. Last season, Jones piled up 70.0 tackles with 40 of them being of the solo variety. He produced 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and an interception, which was a Pick-6. With a 6-foot-8 wing span, the all-stater covers a lot of ground as we can see when viewing his 11th-grade highlight video. We also witness a middle backer that picks up pre-snap reads, identifies the play quickly after the snap and flies to the football. Jones is a good athlete with speed that holds up well in coverage. Warrior fans should be excited to watch him again and Panther fans should be excited about the future.

I last wrote about Jones after his eye-opening sophomore season that saw him record 31.0 tackles (23 solo, 3.0 TFL) and a pair of sacks for a state semifinalist. He helped Warriors get back to The Dome again this past fall with a whopping 70.0 tackles, 40 of which were solo stops. Jones delivered 10.5 tackles for loss, a half dozen sacks and a Pick-6. I got to see Jones operate during the state semifinals in November. He’s an impressive athlete with length, and a frame capable of adding good weight and strength. We can see how Jones finds success when watching his 11th-grade highlight video. He diagnoses plays quickly and flies to the football. Jones flows well with the play, shedding blocks and hitting hard from the middle linebacker position. He runs well and moves fluidly to aid him in coverage. So does a reported 6-foot-8 wingspan.

The hear of the Sergeant Bluff-Luton defense, junior linebacker Xavier Jones Xavier Jones 6'2" | 200 lbs | LB/TE Sergeant Bluff-Luton | 2027 State IA leads the way in several defensive categories for the Warriors.

Causing quite a bit of disruption to opposing team’s offensive schemes, Jones has registered 57 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and five sacks this season on behalf of SBL. Adding an interception he returned 35 yards for a touchdown, Jones has been integral to the Warriors’ 9-1 season.