By Drew Beadling, MSU Athletic Communications Student Assistant

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Six years ago, Evan Jones committed to Michigan State University as a three-star tight end out of Ohio. He was the first player from his small hometown of West Lafayette to go on to play Division I football.

"Most guys that come here to play are from pretty big high schools," said Jones. "When I say I'm from West Lafayette people are like, ‘Indiana, right?,' and I have to say nope, the one in Ohio."

Jones knew early on that East Lansing was the place for him.

"I committed during my junior year of high school. The first time I visited, I fell in love with the whole atmosphere, the coaches, the facilities - everything. It was just beautiful. As soon as I visited, I just knew it was where I wanted to be," Jones said.

Once on campus, Jones would not remain listed as a tight end for long, however, and was moved to defensive end during his first season as a Spartan. Even though he played both tight end and defensive end in high school, Jones says that making that position change in college was the biggest obstacle he faced throughout his career. Although it was tough at times, the transition was made easier thanks to help he received from those around him.

"My first year at defensive end, I really paid attention to Marcus (Rush) and Shilique (Calhoun). I learned so much from them, and they helped me a lot throughout that process. I can't forget (Defensive Line) Coach (Ron) Burton, either. They all did a great job helping me."

Having such talented players ahead of him to learn from, however, also meant that Jones would have to patiently wait his turn before being able to contribute consistently on the field. This process, though, has been incredibly valuable in helping him to become the player that he is today.

"It was great having those guys ahead of me," said Jones. "Watching film with them, watching film of them, and just seeing them do the right thing so consistently - that was important. Marcus always had such great technique with everything that he did, for example. I made sure to focus on everything that he would do to make me a better player."

The players that Jones sat behind and studied throughout his career have since moved on, including many to the NFL. Now, it's his turn to not only contribute in front of 70,000 screaming fans on Saturday afternoons, but to return the favor and act as a mentor to the younger players on the team.

"There are different guys that ask me questions all the time," said Jones. "I try to talk to them everyday and tell them to focus on one thing every practice to get better at. That's what I did. I would even write it down and say, ‘Okay, this is what I'm focusing on today.' Do that every day and you'll get better."

Even though he played both tight end and defensive end in high school, Jones says that making that position change in college was the biggest obstacle he faced throughout his career. Although it was tough at times, the transition was made easier thanks to help he received from those around him.

Similar to the way he switched positions and demonstrated patience with the process on the field, Jones faced comparable changes and obstacles as a student.

"I changed my major three or four times. I started in media and information, and then I switched to education because I thought I wanted to be an art teacher. Next, I went to studio art. I knew I wanted to do something with art, but I didn't know what, exactly."

Eventually, just as he had found his identity with the program on the field, Jones began to find his passion in terms of career aspirations, thanks in part to one of his activities outside of football.

"I play a lot of video games," said Jones. "I don't play any sports games, by the way. I used to play a little bit of Madden, but being a football player, those games are so unrealistic. Like when the quarterback is just chucking the ball up for grabs, come on," he said, laughing.

"Eventually I changed my major back to media and information, and now I'm also doing video game design. I'm an artist in the way that I make video games - creating characters and environments," Jones said.

Jones now hopes to take this passion and turn it into a career in the industry of his dreams.

"I want to work at a video game studio one day. That is definitely the dream job. I think it would be amazing to work for EA or Bungie â€" but there are a bunch of different companies. That would be the dream. I'm actually working on a game right now for the iPhone. It's called Bunny Skate. You have to tap on the screen and solve puzzles - that kind of stuff."

Whether he was strapping on the pads or working hard to find himself off of the field, Jones made sure to trust the process, remain patient, and most importantly of all: embrace the journey.

"It has meant the world to me," Jones said of his time at Michigan State. "It was always my dream to play college football. It was always my dream to come to such a great place and play for such a great coach. It's been a dream come true. I wouldn't have changed it one bit."