Michigan State Football: 25 best players of the Mark Dantonio era

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EVANSTON, IL – OCTOBER 23: Greg Jones #53 of the Michigan State Spartans follows the play against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field on October 23, 2010 in Evanston, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 35-27. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Two-time consensus First-Team All-American (2009-10)
Three-time First-Team All-Big Ten
Second in MSU history in tackles for loss (46.5)
Third in MSU history in total tackles (465)
Sixth in MSU history in sacks (16.5)

People actually forget just how good Greg Jones was for the Spartans. Joining the Spartans in Mark Dantonio’s first season, he played in 13 games as a freshman as the head coach’s most reliable linebacker.

The middle linebacker played in 13 games in each of his seasons at Michigan State, finishing his career with a whopping 465 career tackles — good for third in school history. He was also second in Michigan State history in tackles for loss and sixth in sacks.

Jones was a consensus All-American two times — as a junior and senior — and he finished with over 100 tackles three times during his career.

There was a point after his junior season that many believed he’d be a first-round pick, but he decided to come back for his senior year. That seemed to hurt his stock as he was picked 185th overall by the New York Giants.

Still, his incredible career as a three-time All-Big Ten selection cannot be overlooked. Is he the best linebacker of the Dantonio era?

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