5 Questions: SDSU’s Christian Jones a good guy off the field who isn’t afraid to be ‘someone’s enemy’ on it

Everyone looks up to Christian Jones, and not just because SDSU’s 6-foot-9 left tackle is the tallest player on the team.

Jones, a redshirt sophomore from San Luis Obispo, has a good-natured personality that is welcoming rather than intimidating.

He is quick to think of others. At the 2021 Frisco Bowl, Jones was spotted lending a hand — and muscle — to equipment staff pushing a cart loaded with gear through an exit tunnel. At the 2022 Hawaii Bowl, he was among players who visited patients at a Honolulu hospital. Earlier this year, he joined teammates who read books to school children.

Jones redshirted when he arrived at SDSU two years ago. He worked to trim from 350 pounds when he arrived to his current 315. All the while improving his strength, stamina and overall fitness that has translated to more athletic movement on the field.

SDSU lost two starters from last season’s offensive line. Jones, a backup at left tackle last season, emerged from spring practice as the starter at the position. He has worked to solidify that spot through two weeks of preseason camp.

Here are five questions with Jones:

Union-Tribune: Coach Brady Hoke said you’re one of the nicest guys on the team, but he doesn’t want you nice on the field. How do you take that?

Jones: “What he means by that is I have to be aggressive, and I should be aggressive on that field. I need to be able to dominate.

“You’re friends with everyone off the field. Everyone talks about that. But I’ve got to be able to pull the switch on the field and dominate because everyone on the defense wants to embarrass me. They want to embarrass your team. … So you’ve got to be able to give it all you’ve got.”

U-T: Does that go against your nature, like a gentle giant, so you have to be something you aren’t?

Jones: “It doesn’t go against my nature. I’m a nice guy … I laugh, but I’m not afraid to play hard. I’m not scared of hurting somebody or being someone’s enemy.”

Christian Jones lines up during a July 29 practice.

(Hayne Palmour IV/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

U-T: Offensive linemen work mostly in anonymity — although there’s a movie about left tackle, “The Blind Side.” So what’s special about that position and is there more pressure to it?

Jones: “What makes it so special is you’re the blind side of the quarterback, so if anything goes wrong, you’re the first line of defense. Especially being on the end, too. Normally, you would have more help. If you let a guy slip on the outside that can be the end-all, be-all right there.

“That adds good pressure to the tackle. I think it makes it more valuable, too. There is more pressure at times, but I think that’s a good thing. It makes your position more valuable and makes you bring more to the team.”

“You still have to do your job no matter what, whether you’re play side or back side to the tackle.”

U-T: What’s the biggest thing you had to learn to move from being a backup to a starter?

Jones: “When I first got out here, it was a lot more bad plays than good plays. I’m still trying to elevate my game. So I think the biggest thing going from a reserve to a starter is you have to be a lot more consistent. You have to string together a lot of good plays. Obviously, no one is going to be perfect, but you’ve got to be able to have a good performance out there on a regular basis …

“I’m excited for it because I have a lot to prove. This is my first time starting, and there’s a lot of good competition here at the offensive tackle position.

“I’m looking forward to it because I’ve put in a lot of work and I still have a lot to prove. Now it’s time to show what I’ve got.”

Christian Jones lines up with the Aztecs during a practice last month.

(Hayne Palmour IV/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)

U-T: You’re a business finance major. What do you hope to do with that?

Jones: “Really, I just want to get my foot in the business door and see where it takes me. I want to be financially literate. Football only lasts so long, so I want to be able to have good standing outside in the business area, but I’m still figuring that out.”