Jacquez Jones Taking Nothing for Granted Ahead of Super Senior Season

Despite 2022 being just his second year in Lexington, Kentucky linebacker Jacquez Jones has grown exponentially as both a football player and a human being. 

After spending three seasons in Oxford at Ole Miss, the last of which he led the Rebels in tackles, Jones made the decision to transfer out, joining the Wildcats in 2021. Spearheading a defense that helped UK win 10 games for just the fourth time in the program's history, the Tuscaloosa, Alabama native made an instant impact as one of the top linebackers in the country. 

Though it may seem like a two-time leading tackler on a pair of top-notch SEC teams has his ducks in a row when it comes to football, that was far from the case for Jones. 

The linebacker position is one of the most hard-working, time-consuming positions on the field, and often features the captain of a defense. While Jones' 82 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception may say otherwise, he knows there was much more he could have done to make an impact last season: 

"Last year, I could say I wasn't going through the motions but I really wasn't as prepared as I should have been," Jones said. 

Kentucky ranked 26th in team defense last season, but found itself unable to keep up with some of the better offenses in the league at times, whether it be Tennessee's up-tempo style or Mississippi State's air raid. 

While the blame was never pointed in the direction of the linebacker room or Jones in particular, he's taken the time to look back at 2021 and up the levels heading into his super senior season as a Wildcat. 

"I took that personal this whole summer and fall camp. To be the person I want to be, to be the player I want to be, I have to step it up 10 times more and that's what I feel like i've been doing," he said. "I'm happy." 

Part of becoming both the person and player he wants be surrounds Jones' leadership skills. While he was a senior last year, Jones was a bit hesitant in immediately coming in and filling the role of a leader, especially with veterans like Josh Paschal and DeAndre Square around him on the defense. 

"It feels a lot different. Coming in as a transfer, it's kinda hard...you don't want to step on anybody's toes. (Leadership) is something I want to improve on this year, and I feel like i've been doing that," he said. 

Part of Jones' newfound look on what it means to lead stems back to the finale of Kentucky's 2021 season—the Citrus Bowl game in Orlando on New Year's Day. 

Jones, like many starters and key players, were held out of the bowl game against Iowa due to injury or other circumstances. Unsure on whether or not that would be the final game of his college career, a new perspective dawned on him. 

"Being hurt, not being able to play in the bowl game, that really hurt me and that made me think that, God could have you somewhere right now, and the next day it could be completely taken away," he said. 

Ultimately, Jones made the decision to return for his fifth year, and along with him came a new lease on life as an athlete:

"My thing is never take anything for granted, and I feel like last year I was taking stuff for granted," he said. "Not being in the film room, the training room. I just knew like, I could be here one day and be gone the next, so everyday I just come out here and try to do my best."

While upping his play on the field is one thing, Jones has also taken his leadership to the sidelines, doing what seniors do by helping build up his new teammates, as difficult as it may be. 

"My job is not to tear them down, just to bring them up. I want the defense to be great, but I also have to build those young guys up. It's hard on me cause I have to be patient, but they're gonna be ready by game one," he said. 

Alongside both Square and fellow senior Jordan Wright, Jones' talent equates to Kentucky owning one of the deepest and most-experienced linebacker rooms in the nation. 

Talk has surrounded multiple freshmen that are set to make an immediate impact for the Wildcats alongside a bevy of veterans, meaning a mix of young and old will attempt to hold down the fort against some of the best offenses in both the SEC and the country on a weekly basis. 

Head coach Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White have both boasted about the potential that the defense carries throughout preseason camp in the lead-up to the season-opener on Sept. 3. 

Kentucky was picked to finish second in the SEC East, and New Year's Day bowl projections are once again circling. Jones, like his coaches, is aware of the all-around skill that the Wildcats possess. But if he's learned anything from his experience so far at UK, the last thing he'll do is look ahead.

"Don't get complacent. We had a great fall camp but that doesn't mean anything, you know, we got a long season ahead, we gotta make sure that we continue to want to grow and get better," Jones said. "We all have a goal, everybody has a chip on their shoulder. We want the end goal but we know we have to take care of today, and that's the main goal, we just have to handle what's in front of us."