Marcus Jones (cornerback)
Houston Cougars – No. 8 | |
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Position | Cornerback/Return specialist |
Class | Senior |
Personal information | |
Born: | October 22, 1998 |
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career history | |
College | |
Bowl games | |
High school | Enterprise (Enterprise, Alabama) |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Marcus Elliot Jones (born October 22, 1998) is an American football cornerback and return specialist for the Houston Cougars.
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]
References[]
- ^ "EHS star player steps away from basketball court to focus on football". Dothan Eagle. January 5, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ Mundee, David (January 30, 2017). "Enterprise star Marcus Jones commits to Troy, other locals set to sign". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ Kennedy, Jahmal (December 11, 2017). "Troy's Jones earns ESPN Freshman All-American honors". WSFA.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Former Enterprise, Troy star Marcus Jones announces transfer to University of Houston". Dothan Eagle. March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ Zenitz, Matt (March 5, 2019). "Troy star enters NCAA transfer portal". AL.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Ex-Troy All-American cornerback Marcus Jones transfers to Houston". Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "UH's Marcus Jones on Bednarik Award watch list". Houston Chronicle. July 19, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Texas Tech football vs. Houston: How They Match Up". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. September 3, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Houston hands No. 19 SMU first loss on Marcus Jones' 100-yard kickoff return". The Athletic. October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Houston's Marcus Jones named Paul Hornung Award winner". Houston Chronicle. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "American Announces 2021 Football Award Winners and All-Conference Teams". theamerican.org. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
External links[]
- Living people
- Players of American football from Alabama
- American football cornerbacks
- Houston Cougars football players
- Troy Trojans football players
- 1998 births
- People from Enterprise, Alabama
- All-American college football players