KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
By Stephen Evans
Nobody dares call Rahim Alem by his given name, except his little brother.
In 2006, LSU defensive end Al Jones legally changed his name to Rahim Akil Alem. His new name is part Swahili and part Arabic and has nothing to do with a religious conversion. Instead it was done to promote his African heritage. The name Rahim means kind, compassionate and merciful. Akil means intelligent, and Alem means leader.
Alem’s intimidating presence, however, keeps most jokesters from making light of the name change. Alem exudes a quiet confidence, a serious demeanor, and a no-nonsense approach.
On the other hand, his little brother, LSU safety turned left-handed pitcher Chad Jones, sometimes seems to be Alem’s polar opposite. Jones is outgoing, high-strung, and would seem to be at the center of any prank pulled on fellow players.
“They are as different as night and day and then they are similar,” said LSU head coach Les Miles. “They both love each other, you can tell. The one play in the Troy game last year where Rahim pressured the quarterback and the quarterback let go of it and Chad picked it off, I saw real enjoyment of a brother combination there.
“In one of the earlier practices I just happened to notice that Rahim jumped off and Chad ripped him. It was a brotherly laugh there. I enjoyed it. I told Rahim, you have to recognize that some of these experiences you and your brother are having, no other people are having. Not only will you look back on your team, but you will look back on your teammate and brother. What a great memory for life.”
Though 22 months apart in age, the two brothers had the same group of friends growing up in New Orleans and hung out at the same places. They played little league baseball and youth football together.
They also played two seasons together in high school. When Alem, then known as Al Jones, finished his prep football eligibility, he was one of the most sought after players in the state of Louisiana. He decided to take his decorated prep career to LSU, staying close to family and friends and leaving open the opportunity to once again play with his brother.
Alem redshirted his first year at LSU and played in only six football games as a redshirt freshman. Coaches were unsure of where the then 6-2, 250-pound Alem fit into the defensive mix – was he a speed pass rusher from the defensive end position or a linebacker?
After a blue chip high school career in which he never left the field on defense, the sitting around and watching from the sidelines was difficult.
“I didn’t think it would take as long as it did,” Alem admitted about getting his chance to finally play. “It was frustrating, but at the end of the day I chose to come to LSU and I knew they already had talent here.”
During that time, Alem decided to change his name. Some took offense. Many didn’t know what to think. When asked, Alem told the story of why he wanted to change his name. That story further distanced some people.
But for brother Chad and the rest of Alem’s family, it was something they respected.
“When he changed his name I was asking why he did it,” admits Jones. “He told me the whole story and I said OK. It really didn’t matter to me. I still call him Alfred. It’s not being disrespectful, I just can’t help it. I call him Alfred all the time. I just can’t help it. The only time I call him Rahim is when I’m clowning around. I’m the only person that can get away with it though.”
That’s the difference between the two.
Chad, the jokester. Rahim, the soft-spoken, intense presence.
“That’s just the kind of person he is,” Jones said about his brother. “He’s not going to change. He’s not uptight, but some things just set him off. I’m just a laid back type of person. Sometimes that can be a good thing and sometimes that can be bad.”
As Alem’s frustrations about not playing as much as he expected were mounting, he finally began to crack the lineup. As a sophomore, Alem played in 12 of the Tigers’ 14 games and had two sacks. He also received a national championship ring, something that validated his decision to be a Tiger.
He followed that campaign up with a stellar 2008 season. Despite starting only one of 13 games, Alem finished third in the SEC with 8.0 sacks and eighth in the league with 11.5 tackles for loss. Those stats earned the pass rushing specialist second-team All-SEC honors despite not even being a starter.
“I don’t know if it frustrated him,” Jones said of Alem’s lack of early playing time. “Things just didn’t go quite according to plans. At the time they were looking for bigger defensive ends and he was a skilled defensive end. They tried to move him to linebacker and things didn’t work out. So he was just patient and waited his turn like a real man would. And then last year he made All-SEC as a non-starter and he’s just looking for better things this year.”
Jones is also looking for bigger and better things this year. The highly-touted safety has also seen his ups and downs during his first two seasons at LSU. During his true freshman season in 2007, Jones’ play was a major factor in several big games on the Tigers’ march to the national championship. He broke up a pass in the endzone on the last play of the game against the defending national champion Florida Gators. He recorded two sacks against Alabama, the final of which he also forced a fumble to set up LSU’s game-winning touchdown. Then against Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game he recorded a season-high six tackles.
But Jones’ sophomore season did not match the hype. Expected to be entrenched in the lineup, Jones started only six games and never became the dominant every down player Tigers fans expected.
But Jones’ confidence never waivered and, with the arrival of new defensive coordinator John Chavis, it is expected that Jones’ may follow in his brother’s footsteps with a breakout junior campaign. And he will likely be doing it with his brother by his side.
“It’s going to be so much better with him being on the field with me,” Jones said. “He raises my intensity on the field and it raises the level I play. It makes me better. I love playing on the field with my brother. It’s just like high school. So we’re going to try to make it through this last season and go out with a bang.”
