ESPN College Football

Syracuse is without one star Jones on its defensive line this spring. But another one is rising up the charts.

Senior defensive tackle and All-Big East performer Arthur Jones is sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle. That's delaying his opportunity to play alongside his younger brother, Chandler, who's making a bid to start at defensive end.

Chandler Jones remembers coming to the Carrier Dome in high school and hearing the announcer repeatedly say, "Tackle by Arthur Jones."

"I was thinking, they could be saying, 'Tackle by Chandler Jones,'" he said. "That made me want to work harder."

The younger Jones redshirted last season as a true freshman and focused on getting stronger. He came to campus carrying just 220 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame. After a year in the weight room and hitting the training table, he said he's now about 250 and ready to take on some offensive tackles.

"They're always sizing me up, because I'm lengthy and you can't see 250 pounds of me," he said. "So they look me up and down. But they feel me when I'm coming at them. They feel it."

Jones is used to mixing things up. In addition to Arthur, he has another older brother in Jon, who's currently an undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor.

"Coming up and being the last of two brothers who were both very aggressive and physical, I had no choice but to fight back," he said. "Whenever we go home, we're always wrestling and fighting, though Arthur can't right now."

Arthur had a chance to go to the NFL after his junior season but stuck around in part for the chance to play with his younger brother. Chandler has been working out with the first team at defensive end this spring while Arthur offers tips from the sideline.

"He's always on me," Chandler said. "He wants to see me do well."

The school that produced Dwight Freeney and Jameel McClain didn't get a whole lot of production from its defensive ends in 2008. Vince Giruzzi led Orange players from that position with 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he has graduated.

But when Arthur Jones returns from injury, he's sure to draw plenty of double teams on the inside, which should open up opportunities from the edge. Maybe one Jones can help the other become a star in his own right.