However, on Sept. 1, 2007, when the Greg Jones era began in East Lansing, the then-freshman linebacker couldn’t help but pause and take a break in the action — even if only for one second.

“The first time I ran on the field, I remember running like halfway through the tunnel, and I kind of stopped,” Jones said. “I looked around, and it was either (linebacker Kaleb Thornhill), (safety Nehemiah Warrick) or one of the guys said, ‘You got to keep moving.’ And, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, yeah.’”

Jones will take the field at Spartan Stadium on Saturday for the final time in his collegiate career. He might not have come to MSU very highly recruited, but he leaves as one of the best linebackers — and players — in school history.

Jones’ journey to his first collegiate game wasn’t a typical one, which is one of the reasons he made that initial entrance into Spartan Stadium last a little bit longer than it was supposed to.

Coming out of Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Jones was a three-star recruit with only one Big Ten scholarship offer from Minnesota. Wanting to fulfill his goal of playing Big Ten football, he accepted the offer and was set to join the Golden Gophers in 2007.

But two months before National Signing Day, Minnesota head coach Glen Mason was fired, and everything changed. Jones opened up his recruitment, and fortunately for him, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio was about to become a Big Ten coach as Mason’s days in the conference ended.

Dantonio, who recruited Jones when he was the head coach at Cincinnati, was hired as the Spartans’ head coach in November 2006 and still had Jones on his radar. So when Jones became available, Dantonio went after him, eventually convincing Jones to come to East Lansing.

Four years later, nearing the end of what Dantonio calls a “tremendous career,” Jones hasn’t stopped for anybody since he had to be pushed out of the Spartan Stadium tunnel before his first game.

“I knew then I’d be hooked, and I have been ever since,” Jones said. “I’m addicted to it. I love it.”

Exceeding expectations

Jones is set to go down as one of the best linebackers ever to put on an MSU uniform.

Leading the Spartans in tackles each season he has been at MSU, twice he has been named to the All-Big Ten First team, and last season, he was selected as a First-Team All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

But early in his career, Jones said he simply was hoping to get on the field.

“When I first came here, I told (linebackers coach Mike Tressel), ‘I just want an opportunity,’” Jones said. “I remember talking to the special teams coach and just asking him a whole lot: ‘Can I just get on the field and make a play?’ That’s all I’ve ever asked for, just to prove myself.”

With 446 tackles and 44.5 tackles for loss (both third in school history), Jones has proven himself and then some.

Although Dantonio said he thought Jones would be good when he first saw him play in high school, nobody expected him to do as much as he has during the last four years.

“I thought he’d have an outstanding career here based on his abilities and what I saw in camp when I was at (Cincinnati),” Dantonio said. “But you never really know if a guy will transition that to college football. He has.”

Tressel has been Jones’ position coach for all four years of his MSU career. After watching Jones capture nearly every award and honor a linebacker could win, he said he wouldn’t expect a career like Jones’ out of any recruit.

“You never assume that’s going to happen with anybody,” Tressel said. “Everybody you recruit, you hope and you see something that makes you think they’re going to be really good. Certainly, we saw things with (Jones) we thought would make him be really good.”

With Jones’ coaches and even he himself somewhat surprised at what he’s been able to accomplish as a college football player, seemingly the only person who saw it coming was Jones’ father.

“Well, we knew all along what was going to happen because we could see it in him,” Greg Jones Sr. said. “With his motivation and everything, we knew what the future was going to hold.”

Jones Sr. introduced his son to football when he was about seven years old, and he said he knew, even back then, that the younger Jones would go on to do big things.

“He was successful at everything he had done — basketball, baseball, band and in the classroom,” Jones Sr. said. “He was successful all along.”

Finishing up

This Saturday, Jones will begin putting the finishing touches on his successful college career when he and the 16 other seniors play their final home game against Purdue (noon, Big Ten Network).

With a win, Jones and the 2010 class can become the winningest group of seniors in MSU history with 32 victories. Jones said all the wins had less to do with him and more with the play of the whole team — a team he almost wasn’t a part of this season.

After his junior campaign, Jones flirted with leaving for the NFL. But in January, Jones announced he was coming back, not only to improve his draft status for next year and to get his degree, but to win a Big Ten championship.

At 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the conference, the No. 11 Spartans still have a chance to do just that.

“My mom always said, ‘There’s a purpose, there’s a reason why you came back,’” Jones said. “I firmly believe in that also, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Along with the chance to compete for a conference crown and a potential trip to the Rose Bowl, Jones’ return also means he gets to participate in Senior Day — a moment he said will be very important for him and his family.

“Enjoying Senior Day will be special, especially for my parents,” Jones said. “Those two people have put in all the hard work — I feel like more than me. Just every day, starting from little league all the way up to high school and now.”

When he is honored along with his parents on the field before Saturday’s game, Jones said he doesn’t know how emotional it will be. However, Jones said if his dad, who knew all along his son would be great, breaks down, he will too.

“That could happen,” Jones Sr. said. “It will be his last home game of his career. It’s a great moment for me and him and his mother. I think it may be emotional, but I’m looking forward to it.”

As for the actual game, Jones hopes it goes much like his first game at Spartan Stadium, when he had seven tackles and a sack in a 55-18 win.

Although, he hopes the entrance goes a little more smoothly this time around.

“Hopefully nobody has to tell me to keep going,” Jones said with a smile. “Other than that, I just want to have fun out there, but more importantly, try to get the win.”