Jaylon Jones

Early life

Jones was born on October 14, 1997, in Allen, Texas. He attended Allen High School and helped their football team make it to the state championship game three years in a row. He was a first-team all-state selection by USA Today as a senior after making 61 tackles and an interception. He was ranked the ninth-best cornerback nationally by Scout.com and was a four-star prospect.

College career

Jones committed to Ole Miss in July 2015. He played his first season in 2016, and was named a first-team Freshman All-American after playing in every game and ranking second on the team in passes defended. As a sophomore in 2017, Jones started six games and appeared in 12 as a defensive back and return specialist. He was 19th nationally and third in the conference with 775 kick return yards, and returned a kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown against South Alabama. In the 2018 season opener, he made a career-high seven tackles and returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown before suffering a season-ending injury.

As a redshirt-junior in 2019, Jones played in 10 games and started four at cornerback, recording 33 total tackles and five pass breakups. As a redshirt-senior in 2020, he started the first four games of the season before suffering a season-ending upper body injury. He had made 27 total tackles before getting injured. Jones announced he would return for a sixth season in 2021. He graduated following the 2021 season.