Steven Sedgewon Jones Jr. (born February 1, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Appalachian State Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

Early life

Jones was born on February 1, 1999, in Rockingham, North Carolina. He attended

Richmond Senior High School Richmond Senior High School is a high school located in Rockingham, North Carolina. Richmond Senior is the only high school located in Richmond County. It is part of the Richmond County School System, and was established in 1972. Overview With ...

where he made 35 tackles and three interceptions as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, earning all-conference honors. He was rated a two-star cornerback by

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and Scout.com.

College career

Jones committed to

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

, spending his first season as a redshirt. In his second year, 2018, he appeared in 13 games, mainly on special teams. In a 72–7 win over Gardner–Webb, he blocked two punts and returned one for his first career touchdown. His performance earned him

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

Special Team Player of the Week honors. He made five tackles in the season. As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

in 2019, Jones started two games and appeared in a total of 13, making seven tackles. He played in every games in the following season, being the third cornerback on the team's depth chart. He returned interceptions for 97 total yards and scored a touchdown against Troy. He also served as the Appalachian State kick returner, averaging 21.9 yards per return. As a

in 2021, Jones appeared in all 14 games and started all but one. He made 51 tackles and ranked top 20 in the nation for passes defended with 13. In a game against Arkansas State, he made three interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, earning the Walter Camp and Bronko Nagurski awards for best defensive player of the week. He placed second in the nation and first in his conference with five interceptions on the year, and was first nationally in interceptions returned for touchdowns. At the end of the year, Jones was named first-team All-American by the

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

. He was also a first-team all-conference selection.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Jones was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 12, 2023. He was waived on August 29, 2023.

Arlington Renegades

On December 20, 2023, Jones signed with the Arlington Renegades of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

. He played

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Steven Jr. 1999 births Living people American football defensive backs People from Rockingham, North Carolina Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Players of American football from North Carolina