ELON, N.C. -- As the football team begins to wrap up preseason camp, we sat down to chat with junior defensive lineman Jordan Jones.

Of note, the time for Thursday's practice has changed.  The squad will now practice at 8:25 a.m. on Thursday morning instead of in the afternoon.

Coach Jason Swepson has talked a lot about the depth on the defensive line this year.  Give us a little insight to that depth.
"We really didn't have a lot of depth last year and that killed us.  This year, we have myself, Jay Brown, Tony Thompson, Olufemi Lamikanra, Brandon Brant, Gary Coates and Michael Pearson who have all played a lot.  Our twos are really good this year.  We used to get exhausted pretty quickly because of the lack of depth.  On the d-line you can only go so hard for so many plays before you have to rotate out.  We'll be able to rotate more this year and we'll be fresher in the fourth quarter.  It's great to have backups who are solid.  Before we'd be dog tired late in the game.  I know I definitely waned in the fourth quarter last year."

How have the freshmen on the defensive line adjusted?
"The freshmen will be good.  They are working on a lot of stuff and Coach (Jerrick) Hall is working hard with them.  Chris Jones will have to step up this year.  He's Tony's backup at nose guard, which is probably the most important position on the line.  Mike Warren is going to be good.  He has a good work ethic and works hard."

Tony Thompson was a preseason all-conference pick.  What is it about him that has made the coaches in the league take notice of him?
"Tony just gets the job done.  He's quick, stable and durable.  He's great to play next to.  He covers me when I make an inside move.  He just does everything really well and has a great work ethic.  He does all the right things."

What is one word you would use to describe the defensive line unit?
"Domination."

Now that you have had a year in this defensive system, are things a little easier now?
"The second year is much easier.  Coach (Ed) Pinkham's plan is to do a lot of blitzing and movement.  Instead of us being a one-gap defense, we do a lot of movement.  I think we're one of the quickest teams out there.  Right now, we definitely have the philosophy of the defense and the plays down.  We're fine tuning things now.  I felt like we locked it down in the spring.  I love this system.  We get to do a lot of different things.  Coach Pinkham is a super smart guy and there aren't too many people who will out-think him."

Talk about the opportunity to play North Carolina in the season opener.
"It's an important game, but we're playing for a Southern Conference championship.  I'm confident in us that we can compete with anybody on our schedule.  For me, personally, I'm from Florida so it's not as big a deal as it would be if we were playing Florida."

As a reminder, season tickets are still available.  For more information on purchasing tickets, click HERE.  For information on the season ticket referral program, click HERE.

Upcoming 2012 Elon Phoenix Preseason Practice Schedule
(All practices are at the Hunt and Tucker practice fields unless otherwise noted)
Thurs., Aug. 23 - 8:25 a.m.
Fri., Aug. 24 - 12:30 p.m. (Scrimmage; Rhodes Stadium)
* Schedule subject to change