Tony Jones Jr.

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Tony Jones Jr.
No. 34 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1997-11-24) November 24, 1997 (age 24)
St. Petersburg, Florida
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
College:Notre Dame (2016–2019)
Undrafted:2020
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2021
Rushing yards:135
Rushing average:2.76
Receptions:5
Receiving yards:29
Total touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Tony Jones Jr. (born November 24, 1997) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame.

Early years[]

Jones attended St. Petersburg Catholic High School in St. Petersburg, Florida before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.[1] He played baseball and football in high school.[2] As a senior in football, he had 78 carries for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jones played in the 2015 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[3] He committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.[4]

College career[]

Jones did not see the field as a true freshman in 2016. As a redshirt freshman at Notre Dame in 2017, Jones played in 12 games and had 44 carries for 232 yards and three touchdowns. As a redshirt sophomore in 2018, he played in 13 games and had 392 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Jones took over as the starting running back his redshirt junior year in 2019.[5] He missed a game and a half due to cartilage damage in his ribs suffered during a loss to Michigan.[6] Jones graduated in December and announced that he would not return to Notre Dame for his fifth year, in order to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.[7]

In the 2019 Camping World Bowl, Jones had a 84 yard touchdown run that broke the record for longest run in Notre Dame bowl game history.[8] Jones rushed for 857 yards and six touchdowns in his senior season.

At the end of the season, Jones was selected to play in the 2020 East-West Shrine Game in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.[9]

Professional career[]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄2 in
(1.79 m) 		220 lb
(100 kg) 		30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.68 s 4.21 s 7.18 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10]

Jones signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2020.[11] He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[12][13] He was elevated to the active roster on January 2, 2021, for the team's week 17 game against the Carolina Panthers, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[14] On January 18, 2021, Jones signed a reserve/futures contract with the Saints.[15] On September 2, 2021, Jones made the 53-man roster for the Saints after rushing 106 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown, along with 42 receiving yards on six receptions in two preseason games.[16] He suffered an ankle injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 6, 2021.[17] He was activated on November 20.

Personal life[]

Jones' father Tony Jones Sr. was a fullback and linebacker for Illinois State, as well as the Cleveland Thunderbolts, Tampa Bay Storm, and Buffalo Destroyers of the Arena Football League.[18]

At Notre Dame, Jones majored in Film, Television and Theatre. During the 2019 college football season, Jones filmed his first film, a short film entitled "Come Together" written and directed with classmate Conor Fitzgerald,[19] starring football teammate Ovie Oghoufo and fellow FTT student and stage actress Teagan Earley.[20] The short film premiered at the 2020 Sundial Film Festival[21] in Redding, California.

References[]

  1. ^ Irish, Bayou. "Signature Moves: Tony Jones". Her Loyal Sons.
  2. ^ Burlage, Todd. "Tony Jones Jr.: A Case Study in Patience and Performance". UND.com.
  3. ^ "Army All-American Tony Jones pays tribute to grandfather who served in the military". November 18, 2015.
  4. ^ Reilly, Brendan. "2016 RB Tony Jones Jr. Commits to Notre Dame!". OneFootDown.com.
  5. ^ "Tony Jones Jr.'s time to shine at running back". The Observer.
  6. ^ Arend, Alek. "Brian Kelly Announces New Injury Update For RB Tony Jones Jr". The Spun.
  7. ^ "Tony Jones Jr. declares for the NFL Draft, leaving intrigue for Notre Dame's running back room". December 31, 2019.
  8. ^ "WATCH Tony Jones Jr. take it 84 yards to the house to put Notre Dame up 27-6 over Iowa State". OneFootDown.com.
  9. ^ Torello, Chris. "St. Pete Native Begins NFL Journey at East-West Shrine Bowl". BayNews9.com.
  10. ^ "Tony Jones Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Saints add 13 undrafted free agents". NewOrleansSaints.com. April 27, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Saints announce 53-man roster reductions for 2020". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  13. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce practice squad additions". NewOrleansSaints.com. September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. January 2, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  15. ^ Bouda, Nate (January 18, 2021). "Saints Sign 13 Players To Futures Deals, Release WR Jake Kumerow From PS". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Vitovitch, Frank (September 2, 2021). "38 Former Notre Dame Football Players Make NFL Rosters". UHND.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Ryquell Armstead signed to Saints practice squad, Tony Jones Jr. to I.R." Saints Wire. USA Today. October 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "Tony Jones Sr. Stats". ArenaFan.com.
  19. ^ "Come Together". Room203Productions.com.
  20. ^ "Teagan Earley Performance Resume" (PDF). TeaganEarley.com.
  21. ^ "Sundial Film Festival". sundialfilmfestival.com.

External links[]

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