Jacquez Jones, Kentucky’s leading tackler, returning for an extra college season

Josh Moore
·2 min read

Jacquez Jones, one of Kentucky’s starting middle linebackers in 2021, will play for the Wildcats again in the fall.

Jones, who enrolled at UK over the summer following three seasons at Ole Miss, had 86 tackles in 12 games to lead Kentucky last season. He is opting into a fifth year of college football eligibility under the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver.

He announced his decision using a clip from “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Jordan Wright, an outside linebacker, announced earlier Sunday that he would also opt into a fifth year of eligibility at Kentucky. Another inside linebacker, DeAndre Square, had not yet announced a decision as of Sunday night; he was weighing the same options as Jones and Wright.

Jones sat out of Kentucky’s win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl due to a lower-body injury, but finished with five more tackles than Yusuf Corker (81) to end as the season leader. He also had one interception, four pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries.

In addition to Jones and Wright, UK’s linebacking corps is expected to bring back Trevin Wallace, a true freshman who played significant snaps this season, and sophomore D’Eryk Jackson, who was in contention for a starting job in the spring before suffering an Achilles injury that sidelined him until late November. Martez Thrower, another true freshman who played some this season, rounds out the returning players of note at the position. Kentucky also signed two four-star recruits, Tyrese Fearbry and Keaten Wade, who could see the field this fall.

Jones announced his intent to transfer last year following Ole Miss’s spring camp and was linked right away to UK due to the presence of Jon Sumrall, who was the Rebels’ linebackers coach during Jones’ freshman season in 2018. Jones following that season was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team and Sumrall was hired as the linebackers coach at UK. (Sumrall in December was named the head coach at Troy University.)

The in-conference move proved beneficial to Jones, who led Ole Miss in tackles in 2020 but whose individual play was overshadowed by the Rebels’ overall woes on defense.

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