Nebraska football lands a future difference-maker at linebacker in Christian Jones

Here’s the key information to know about the Huskers’ latest commit.

Height and weight: 6-3, 215 pounds.

Other key offers: Auburn, Oklahoma.

* Timing is right: Each recruit’s timeline for finding the right school is different. Jones popped early in his high school career, earning offers as a freshman and in the seasons that followed. Jones was patient, waiting to develop relationships and evaluate his options over time.

Notre Dame, once a key contender, faded. So did Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC, which Jones visited in the spring. Auburn, Oklahoma and Nebraska got June official visits as Jones’ top options, but he didn’t commit prior to starting his senior year as many players do.

Instead, Jones was on the sidelines for Nebraska’s wins over UTEP and Colorado. Making sure that the timing felt right and that the NU coaching staff was a good fit, Jones found what he’d been searching for.

“I want to have coaches that are going to develop me as a man and a player to get me to the next level of life and football,” Jones told the Journal Star in April. “Then there’s education and family, getting a degree because everyone stops playing football one day. Building those connections and that outside-of-football (perspective) is important.”

* Piece of the puzzle: As Nebraska puts the finishing touches on its 2025 recruiting class over the next three months, landing Jones was perhaps the final piece of the puzzle. Five-star athlete Michael Terry III and Oklahoma wide receiver commit Cortez Mills are still key targets, having visited alongside Jones for the Colorado game — but on the defensive side of the ball, Jones stood above the rest.

The four-star prospect was always ranked in the top five of the HuskerExtra recruiting board and took over the top spot this summer following Dawson Merritt’s commitment to Alabama. After a flurry of commitments for Nebraska in late June and mid-July, nearly two months passed without another 2025 addition. Jones may be one of the last entrants into the class.

Landing the top-ranked recruit from within the state’s borders is another recruiting win for Nebraska, which now has six in-state commits in its 2025 class. Jones is also the only linebacker commit in the class other than Millard North’s Pierce Mooberry, who projects as an off-ball linebacker.

As Nebraska looks to the future of its linebacker position, Jones’ commitment is as good as it gets. The Huskers will lose John Bullock and Javin Wright to graduation after this season, and while the likes of Mikai Gbayor, Stefon Thompson and Vincent Shavers may be ready to shine, Nebraska will need someone to be up next.

That’ll be Jones, who is a true athlete at the position. Having also sprinted for the Westside track time, Jones’ speed shows up on the field in how quickly he closes ground. The combination of speed and power Jones possesses will get Jones on the field early, perhaps on special teams, to harness his tackling skills.

With a high-level understanding of the game as well, Jones is the all-around defensive prospect who can take a recruiting class up a notch in potential and in the national rankings. He just did so with Nebraska’s 2025 class.