Utah State University Athletics

HONORS
Academic All-Mountain West (2020).

2023 (REDSHIRT)
Appeared in four games on the season to preserve his redshirt season… Finished the year with 14 carries for 45 yards (3.2 ypr) and one touchdown, while returning one punt for nine yards and one kickoff for five yards… Rushed for 32 yards on eight carries, including a long of 15 yards, and scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run against Idaho State (9/9) for the first rushing stats of his career… Also returned one kickoff for five yards against the Bengals… Gained 13 yards on six carries against Boise State (11/18)… Also returned one punt for nine yards against Georgia State (12/23) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. 

2022 (JUNIOR SEASON)
Played in all 13 games, serving primarily as the team’s punt returner… Finished the year by returning 20 punts for 131 yards and three kickoffs for 39 yards… Was second in the Mountain West and 32nd in the nation in punt returns (6.6 ypr)… Returned a career-high four punts for a career-best 40 yards against UNLV (9/24)… Returned three punts for 25 yards at No. 19 BYU, including a career-long return of 18 yards… Had five punt returns on the season of at least 14 yards and returned multiple punts in seven games… Also returned three kickoffs for 39 yards, including a long of 20 yards, against UNLV, which were the first kickoff returns of his career.

2021 (SOPHOMORE SEASON)
Played in eight games on special teams… Did not record any stats.

2020 (COVID SEASON)
Played in one game as he made his Aggie debut against Air Force (12/3)… Did not record any stats during the season... Earned academic all-Mountain West honors.

JUNIOR COLLEGE
Spent his freshman season playing wide receiver and returning punts at Butte College in Oroville, California… Helped lead the Roadrunners to an 8-3 overall record, capped by a 38-28 victory over the College of the Sequoias in the Gridiron Classic Bowl… Returned 21 punts for 239 yards, averaging 11.4 yards per return.

HIGH SCHOOL
Was a first-team all-state selection at kick returner his final two seasons at Elko (Nevada) High School… Voted by the coaches as the best 3A kick returner in Nevada as a junior and senior… Earned first-team all-league and second-team all-state honors on both sides of the ball at running back and cornerback during his senior year with the Indians… As a senior, he ranked second in the state with 271 kickoff return yards on 10 attempts… His average of 27.1 yards ranked first among players with double-digit returns… Ranked fourth in the state with 144 yards on eight punt returns, 87 of which came late in the first half for a touchdown in the Indians’ home playoff game against Lowry HS… At running back, he finished eighth in the state with 863 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 108 carries… Averaged a touchdown every 12 times he touched the ball… Caught 15 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns… Accounted for 57 percent of the Indians’ total passing attack… His average of 23.3 yards per reception led the state among players with double-digit catches… Defensively, he tied for sixth in the state with four interceptions, tallied 57 total tackles and blocked two kicks… Also played baseball for Elko HS, earning first-team all-state honors at center field as a senior… Garnered first-team all-league and second-team all-state honors as a junior… Set the school record for most stolen bases in a single season with 30 as a junior, then matched that feat as a senior… His 126 career hits and 82 career stolen bases rank first all-time in Elko HS history.

PERSONAL
One of two children of Mitch and Dyan Jones… His father was a two-time All-American kick returner at Shasta College before going on to play at Sacramento State… His uncle, Tim Gilligan, played football at Boise State before enjoying a professional career with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League… Two more uncles, Pete Jones and Shane Gilligan, played football at Eastern Oregon and Merced College, respectively... Graduated from Utah State in the spring of 2024 with a journalism degree with a minor in agriculture business.