Marcus Jones (cornerback)

Marcus Elliot Jones (born October 22, 1998) is an American football cornerback and return specialist for the New England Patriots.

Marcus Jones
New England Patriots
Position:Cornerback/Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1998-10-22) October 22, 1998
Enterprise, Alabama
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Enterprise (Enterprise, Alabama)
College:Troy (2017–2018)
Houston (2019–2021)
NFL Draft:2022 / Round: 3 / Pick: 85
Career history
Roster status:Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school

Jones grew up in Enterprise, Alabama and attended Enterprise High School, where he played basketball and football.[1] He was named all-state as a senior after recording 27 tackles with five interceptions and 16 passes broken up on defense and returning three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns.[2]

College career

Jones began his college football career at Troy. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference as a return specialist after returning 30 kickoffs for 879 yards and three touchdowns and 14 for 121 yards while also intercepting two passes on defense, one of which was returned for a touchdown.[3] As a sophomore, he was named first team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist after returning 23 kickoffs for 584 yards and one touchdown and to the second team as a cornerback after breaking up eight passes with one interception.[4] After his sophomore season Jones entered the transfer portal and later announced that he would be transferring to the University of Houston.[5][6]

After sitting out one season and redshirting due to NCAA transfer rules, Jones had 24 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and one interception on defense.[7] Jones was also named first team All-American Athletic Conference as a return specialist after leading the nation with 337 yards on 17 punt returns with one returned for a touchdown.[8] During his redshirt senior season Jones returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 17 seconds left against 19th-ranked SMU to win the game 44–37.[9] To cap off the season he won the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation's most versatile player,[10] and was selected to the Associated Press All-America first team as a defensive back.[11] He also won AAC Special Teams Player of the Year along with being named first team All-AAC as a return specialist and second team All-AAC as a cornerback.[12]

Professional career

Jones was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round (85th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[13]

References
  1. "EHS star player steps away from basketball court to focus on football". Dothan Eagle. January 5, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  2. Mundee, David (January 30, 2017). "Enterprise star Marcus Jones commits to Troy, other locals set to sign". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  3. Kennedy, Jahmal (December 11, 2017). "Troy's Jones earns ESPN Freshman All-American honors". WSFA.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  4. "Former Enterprise, Troy star Marcus Jones announces transfer to University of Houston". Dothan Eagle. March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  5. Zenitz, Matt (March 5, 2019). "Troy star enters NCAA transfer portal". AL.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  6. "Ex-Troy All-American cornerback Marcus Jones transfers to Houston". Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  7. "UH's Marcus Jones on Bednarik Award watch list". Houston Chronicle. July 19, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  8. "Texas Tech football vs. Houston: How They Match Up". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. September 3, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  9. "Houston hands No. 19 SMU first loss on Marcus Jones' 100-yard kickoff return". The Athletic. October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  10. "Houston's Marcus Jones named Paul Hornung Award winner". Houston Chronicle. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  11. AP All-America team: Young and Tide lead with 3 1st teamers by Ralph D. Russo. AP News, 13 Dec 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  12. "American Announces 2021 Football Award Winners and All-Conference Teams". theamerican.org. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  13. "New Patriots DB Marcus Jones: 'Controlling the Controllables'". si.com. April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
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