Jay Jones

Former safety at Southern Miss. 2024: 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 46 tackles.

S · Southern Miss · Sr. · #5

6′1″ · 210 lb · Demopolis, AL

CFB Index 54 · #232 of 537 safetiesMedium confidenceSouthern Miss 2024 — college career complete

Recruiting

3★

CB recruit

No. 894 nationally · Signed with Southern Miss

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Southern Miss. 2024: 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, 46 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Southern Miss in 2021.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Southern Miss, 88 tackles — his college career is complete.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

2021

Signed with Southern Miss3-star out of Demopolis

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#894 national

CFB

College

Southern Miss

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

2 coaches

2021–2023

Will Hall

Southern Miss

2024

Reed Stringer

Southern Miss

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Will Hall → Reed Stringer. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Southern Miss3-9HC: Will Hall · Run-heavy, slow tempo

2022Southern Miss7-6HC: Will Hall · Run-leaning

2023Southern Miss3-9HC: Will Hall · Run-leaning

2024Southern Miss1-11HC: Reed Stringer · Run-leaning, slow tempo

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

54Rotational starter #232 of 537?

Medium confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: sacks (25th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

QB hurries#397 / 2892 · 83rd pct

Passes defended#504 / 2892 · 78th pct

Solo tackles#678 / 2892 · 76th pct

Tackles#713 / 2892 · 75th pct

Tackles for loss#1216 / 2892 · 55th pct

2.5

Interceptions#314 / 862 · 32nd pct

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home4g	4.8	0.4	0.0	0.5
Road6g	4.5	0.2	0.0	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	3.8	0.0	0.0	0.2
Weeks 8+5g	5.4	0.5	0.0	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Blake Anderson

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

Part-time starter

Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

54 · #232 of 537 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #232 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Southern Miss	46	27	2.5	3	1	--
2023	Southern Miss	16	6	0.5	--	1	--
2022	Southern Miss	22	12	2.5	--	--	--
2021	Southern Miss	4	3	0.0	--	--	--
Career		88	48	5.5	3	2	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2024

W 35–10

vs SE Louisiana

1 SOLO · 2 TOT

Dominant 25-point win at home against SE Louisiana.

With B. Lofton — 47 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 55 LONG · T. Rodemaker — 179 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 32.7 · -4 rush yds (3 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	L 0-31@ Kentucky	4	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 35-10vs SE Louisiana	2	1	0.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 24-49vs South Florida	5	3	0.0	—	1
Wk 4	L 7-44@ Jacksonville State	3	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 21-38@ UL Monroe	5	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 8	L 28-44vs Arkansas State	6	3	0.5	—	1
Wk 9	L 15-32@ James Madison	10	8	1.0	—	0	Season-high 10 tackles
Wk 12	L 3-58@ Texas State	5	1	0.0	1	0
Wk 13	L 14-35vs South Alabama	6	5	1.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 20-52@ Troy	0	0	0.0	—	1
Total		46	27	2.5	1	3

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Jay Jones

2021

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

Part-time starter

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Hybrid Nickel

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