OXFORD — Matt Jones has been betting on himself for a while now. One of his gambits – to stay at Ole Miss despite new running backs coming in every offseason — is paying off in a big way this fall.
Jones, a redshirt junior from Jackson, Mississippi, starred at Jackson Prep, the same program that produced former Rebels star running back Jerrion Ealy. Jones ran for 2,152 yards and 38 rushing touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Patriots. Jones, who is listed at 5-foot-7, 200 pounds, said he had offers from mid-major programs but chose to join the Rebels as a non-scholarship player.
“(It came down to) betting on myself, and I knew I could play at a Power 5 level,” Jones said. “ … My mentor was Jerrion Ealy, I just wanted to follow his footsteps and, now, here I am.”
Jones walked on at Ole Miss in 2021 and did not play a snap his first year. The Rebels were loaded in the backfield that season with Snoop Conner, Henry Parrish Jr. and Ealy, who ran for a combined 1,968 yards and 21 touchdowns. Jones carried the ball a combined 15 times over the next two seasons, stuck behind ball carriers like Quinshon Judkins, Zach Evans and Ulysses Bentley IV.
Judkins, who was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection, left Ole Miss this offseason. Parrish, who transferred and played at Miami for two seasons, transferred back to Ole Miss in the spring. The Rebels also returned Bentley and added Miami (Ohio) star Rashad Amos.
But as had been the case his entire career, Jones wasn’t going to run from the challenge of a crowded backfield. He says he never thought about leaving for a place that could have provided access to easier playing time.
“Just soaking in the knowledge from each and all the guys that have come through,” Jones said. “ … It was just wanting to finish it with my guys that I started with, for real. I never really had a thought of just leaving, but I’m glad I stayed.”
While Parrish has been the leader in carries thus far — his 338 rushing yards through three games ranks third in the SEC and 10th nationally — it is Jones, not Bentley or Amos, who has received the second-most carries on the team. Jones has 22 carries for 165 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns and has the team’s longest rush of the season, a 46-yard touchdown run against Furman in the season opener. He carried the ball eight times for 65 yards at Wake Forest; his carries didn’t come in garbage time, either, as three of his eight attempts came in the first half before the game was out of reach.
“I think the game started to slow down for me … last year and the year before,” Jones said. “And, like I said, learning the knowledge and the skillset and details that a running back should have, I think I’ve picked it up and … I’m just rolling right now.”
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