Since arriving at Boston College in 2015, Davon Jones’ collegiate career has been anything but conventional. First recruited as a defensive back, then listed as a running back, before switching to linebacker and ultimately suiting up as a two-way player, the 5-foot-10, 235-pound Worcester, Mass., native has experienced constant change. On Monday, though, Jones made his biggest move yet—he announced on Twitter and Instagram that he will be transferring to Bowling Green for his final year of eligibility.
Jones will be reuniting with former BC offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler, who was hired as the Falcons head coach back in November after guiding the Eagles to their highest scoring output in 25 years. Time will tell whether or not Jones makes a full return to the backfield, but Loeffler knows what the big back can do with the ball in his hands. In fact, in BC’s Week One win over Massachusetts this past season, he fed Jones the rock down at the goal line, setting the stage for back-to-back second quarter touchdowns.
One week later, Jones recorded five carries, 11 yards, and his third and final scoring play of the 2018 season. With the exception of one rushing attempt at Wake Forest, Jones wouldn’t hear his number called the rest of the year—on the offensive side of the ball, that is. He played a handful of snaps at linebacker against Purdue, Temple, and North Carolina State, but didn’t see the field much in the back half of the season.
Head coach Steve Addazio asked Jones to make the switch to linebacker during the first month of the 2017 season, at which point Connor Strachan had already suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the linebacker corps seriously lacked depth. Things got even worse when Max Richardson left the Clemson game early with a knee injury of his own. When all was said and done, Jones wrapped up a roller coaster 2017 season—for both him and the team—with a career-high 23 tackles, nine of which came in the Eagles’ New Era Pinstripe Bowl defeat to Iowa.
When presented with the opportunity, Jones proved that he was capable of stepping up in the biggest of moments. Eight games into his redshirt freshman season, he received a handoff out of the shotgun at North Carolina State, drifted right, and lofted a 20-yard halfback option touchdown pass to Tommy Sweeney—one that secured BC’s first ACC victory in 700 days, snapping a 12-game conference losing streak.
Jones was a key component of the Eagles’ offense that year. He logged 91 carries, 361 rushing yards—the second most on the team—and two touchdowns. Jones really started to pick up speed midway through the season and stitched together a four-game stretch where he totaled 45 or more yards on the ground each contest, including a 90-yard outing against Wagner. He also showcased the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, tallying 10 receptions for 99 yards on the year.
Despite his successful redshirt freshman season, Jones took a backseat to A.J. Dillon and Travis Levy in 2017. Snaps were even harder to come by this past year, with David Bailey and Ben Glines entering the running back room. Heading into the 2019 campaign, there wasn’t much wiggle room for Jones on the other side of the ball either, considering that, of BC’s four returning defensive starters, two are linebackers.
Jones will join a Bowling Green team that featured the 12th-worst rushing offense in college football last year. Its ball carriers averaged 3.35 yards per rush attempt and only crossed the plane nine times all season. In one way or another, Jones will find a way to contribute—after all, Loeffler knows he can run, catch, tackle, and even throw.
Featured Image by Savanna Kiefer / Heights Senior Staff
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