Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

Demetrius Jones, the former Notre Dame quarterback turned Cincinnati linebacker, has moved up to the first string on defense, Bill Koch reports in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

If the season started today, Jones would probably be one of the Bearcats' starting outside linebackers, though Craig Carey is in the mix there as well, coach Brian Kelly told the newspaper.
"It's really a rotation right now," Kelly said. "In certain packages Demetrius is on the field all the time. ... "You always hope for the best and adjust instead of the other way around. We saw signs of it in the spring that if we could just continue to get him to progress he was going to be a great player for us."
Kelly has had success with past position changes, never more so than moving Connor Barwin from tight end to defensive end last year. Barwin led the Big East in sacks and was drafted in the NFL's second round.

This one seemed trickier, since Jones was a top-shelf talent who started Notre Dame's 2007 opener under center. Kelly told Koch that Jones had to buy into the move this summer, but Jones said he was already on board.
"Most of [my family and friends] were saying that I should still play quarterback, but who wouldn't say that because that's what I've been known for? That's what I played most of my life. I didn't ignore it, but at the end of the day I'm Demetrius Jones. I've got to take care of my business. I'm not going to say I completely shut everybody off but it's just part of growing up and accepting a role."