Chad Jones is a winner.After all, the junior safety and his former teammate Jared Mitchell are the only two athletes in college history to have won a BCS national championship and a baseball national title.But he’s not only a winner — he’s also a team player. On April 26, Jones moved from the outfield to the bullpen when the Tigers needed him to pitch. Fewer than two months later, he pitched a masterful 1 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in the deciding Game 3 of the Championship Series against Texas.Jones is making a similar switch in football this year, moving from nickelback to free safety  because that’s what the team and incoming defensive coordinator John Chavis needed.”He put me in my natural position where I feel better and that he thinks I can make plays and help the team get turnovers,” Jones said. “Coming to college as a transition player, like a type of cornerback … that really wasn’t my type of style, but I did the best that I could for the team.”Despite being more comfortable at free safety, the position he played as a high school star, his athleticism and versatility may not restrict him to that role.”When it’s all said and done, you could see him at corner,” said secondary coach Ron Cooper.The former 13th-round pick of the Houston Astros in 2007 could end up playing professional football or baseball. But baseball was the first sport Jones started playing and has always had the slight edge for him.”The only way it would be a tough decision is if they offer the same amount of money,” Jones said. “The money situation would definitely change my mind. But I just have to make that choice, and I don’t know what that choice would be right now. If it was just football or baseball, I would choose baseball. But I can’t give a true answer on that right now.”Senior defensive end Rahim Alem, Jones’ older brother, has played alongside Jones longer than any other LSU teammate.”There are certain things you can never get used to,” Alem said. “When he makes a play or if I make a play, your brother’s the first one there to go celebrate with you.”Jones shares the same admiration and excitement in taking the field with family.”I love playing with my brother,” Jones said. “He brings more intensity to me and makes me play better. We hype each other up.”In addition to the defensive backfield, Jones is still an option for returning punts and kicks along with senior running back Trindon Holliday.”It’s a friendly competition,” Holliday said. “We go out there and compete with each other week in and week out.”While football and baseball have similarities, conditioning is a completely different playing field. Jones said he is still getting into shape after finishing baseball only a few months ago.”I probably lost about seven to eight pounds in the last few days. I’m weighing in right now at about 228,” Jones said. “I’m getting close to my comfortable weight. Everybody gains weight in baseball. But everybody knows I was going to shed the weight really fast. My weight won’t be a problem.”The conditioning may differ, but baseball and football aren’t entirely different to Jones.”Being a pitcher and being a defensive back is kind of the same thing because you’re on an island,” Jones said. “It’s you one-on-one with the receiver, you one-on-one with the batter. With baseball, it’s a much more intense feeling that everybody’s waiting on you. Everybody’s got their eyes on you. It’s much more pressure.”Jones has an opportunity to thrive in Chavis’ new defense and is already beginning to make his presence felt.”He’s making progress, and he’s working hard at it,” Chavis said. “He’s a very talented athlete, and it usually doesn’t take gifted athletes that long to make the transition.”Chavis has a knack for developing talented safeties. Tennessee safety Eric Berry is the reigning Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and if anyone can benefit from the tutelage of Chavis, it’s Jones.LSU coach Les Miles and Chavis are stressing a defense that “cross-trains” its secondary and linebackers to play multiple positions and packages. But while Jones may eventually see time at other positions, Chavis is keeping it simple for him momentarily as free safety.”Right now we’re going to make sure he’s comfortable and make sure he can handle all that responsibility before we ask him to do anything else,” Chavis said.Jones plans to play baseball again in the spring after football season comes to a close.”I’ll try to play both sports as long as possible. You never know how that’s going to work out, and I guess only time will tell.”——Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]