Photo by Vicki Graff
Linebacker Jordan Jones is having an efficient season for the Kentucky defense and doing it without a lot of fanfare because he’s not getting the silly unsportsmanlike penalties he’s got in the past and has not done anything outrageous like spitting at an opposing team’s fans like he did last year.
He had eight tackles in Saturday’s win over Mississippi State and now has 24 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries in four games. He even came out for media interviews after the win over State, something he almost never does.
“All of us have one mission and that’s to win the SEC. Finally, I’ve been here for four years and finally everybody is on the same page. It’s just a great feeling,” Jones said.
But here’s a story I really liked about Jones — and it had nothing to do with football. Mike Dellarosa is an Uber driver in Lexington.
“I picked up Jordan Jones one morning a few weeks ago when he was on the way to the stadium. We stopped and got breakfast — a bagel. Dude could not have been nicer. Talked about this team, how much hope he had for them, how much he loves Benny Snell, and his future hopes for the NFL,” Dellarosa said.
Jones can be charming. The one time I got a one-on-one interview with him I was impressed by his insights as much as his passion for the game. I told him then I just wish he would let people see that more.
But knowing how he interacted with an Uber drive who just also happens to be a UK fan shows that side of Jones even better and also maybe helps explain why he’s having such a terrific season but doing it in a quiet way that good’s for him and his team.
