Linebacker Jacquez Jones led Ole Miss in tackles last year but he will play his final two seasons at UK. (Ole Miss Athletics Photo)
Just call it the Jon Sumrall magic. The Kentucky linebackers coach recruited two Georgia star linebackers — Trevin Wallace and Martez Thrower — who could be impact freshmen. Now a player he recruited at Mississippi, linebacker Jacquez Jones, has transferred to UK to give the Wildcats a needed boost on defense for the 2021 season.
It was a quick process for Jones, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native after he decided to leave Mississippi. He was recruited there by Sumrall before the assistant coach left to join coach Mark Stoops’ staff and it was easy to tell the attraction between the coach and player remained strong. Kentucky was Jones’ first visit and he signed with the Cats before leaving campus.
He will be eligible immediately and will have two seasons of eligibility left.
“We are thrilled to add Jacquez to our team,” Stoops said. “He’s an experienced playmaker who has been a great leader in our league.”
Jones might be a four-star talent — he was rated as the No. 10 inside linebacker nationally in his recruiting class by ESPN — but he has five-star experience. He has played in 33 games, including 19 starts, and has 182 career tackles. Remember he played in the SEC West where he faced elite competition almost every week.
The 6-1, 235-pound Jones led Ole Miss in tackles with 75 last year and was second on the team in tackles in 2019 with 71. He had 10 combined tackles for loss the past two seasons. He earned SEC all-freshman honors in 2018 when he had 36 tackles the one year he was coached by Sumrall.
A year ago Kentucky anticipated that Jamin Davis would be returning for his senior season at inside linebacker. Instead, he became a first-round draft choice. The Cats also thought D’Eryk Jackson would be ready for a bigger role but he got hurt during spring practice.
Jones is a huge addition because now it will give Wallace more time to mature and develop. Kentucky won’t have to rush to play him until he’s ready — even though I still think that will be fairly quick.
Kentucky returns DeAndre Square. Between Jones and Square, they have played in 69 games and have seen the best of the best in SEC play on a regular basis. Both are proven playmakers and should be great mentors for UK’s younger linebackers such as Wallace and Jared Casey.
