Perseverance Pays Off For Jones
August 16, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Kameron Jones has been a stalwart on Mississippi State's offensive line for the past three seasons.
The versatile veteran of trench warfare has started all 31 games in which he has appeared in over his career and is expected to bookend the Bulldogs' line at right tackle for his sixth and final season this fall.
However, things weren't always that way.
Jones spent two full seasons at the beginning of his career on the sideline without ever playing a snap in 2018 and 2019. But day after day and season after season, Jones continued to work in the weight room, film room and out on the practice field until his he eventually got his chance.
"I definitely learned that I could push through and that I'm stronger than I am," Jones said. "Those first two years, I had to understand that my role wasn't being that top guy or top dog anymore. I just had to play my role, be a team player and learn. As a young guy, I had to pay my dues. That made me want to dig deep to get to where I'm at now."
Jones' number was finally called midway through his redshirt sophomore year, earning a start at right tackle on the road against Alabama. He went on to start six of the final seven games at that position to close out the 2020 season.
"I kept telling myself that it won't be like this forever and it'll change soon," Jones said of his first two seasons. "Whenever I got the opportunity, I just needed to take advantage of it."
And he certainly did. The 2021 season saw Jones shift to left guard, where he started all 12 regular season games before moving back to right tackle for the Liberty Bowl. Last fall, he continued at right tackle and started all 12 games during the regular season. Â
"Ever since our freshman year when we came in, I haven't seen him do anything but progress and get better than what he was when he first came in," said fellow offensive lineman Kwatrivous Johnson. "With him not being a high recruit coming out of high school, he carried a chip on his shoulder and that kept pushing him to get better every day."
In today's era of the transfer portal, stories of perseverance like Jones' are becoming more and more rare. Despite the two seasons he spent on the bench as a true and redshirt freshman, the thought of leaving MSU was never an option for the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder.Â
"I definitely didn't see the grass being greener on the other side," Jones said. "The transfer portal is stupid in my personal opinion. I feel like guys just need to get out there and work to prove that it's undoubtedly clear that you're the best guy for that spot."
At the end of last season, Jones saw his streak of 30 consecutive starts come to an end after sustaining a foot injury in the season finale at Ole Miss. The injury required surgery and kept him sidelined for the ReliaQuest Bowl and all of spring practices.
"Being injured, I didn't realize how miserable I was without football," Jones said.
Jones attacked his recovery and rehab in much the same way he did during the early days of his career so he could ensure that he was ready to go by the start of preseason camp.
"Thomas Callans is definitely the goat when it comes to athletic training," Jones said. "He worked with me every day, multiple times a day. Coach (Tyson) Brown and the strength staff would always implement stuff to make sure that I was back full go."
The Starkville native was a late addition to State's signing class in 2018. In fact, Jones was all set to ink a letter of intent with Louisiana when he received a last-minute call from the Bulldogs right before the signing day ceremony at his high school.
"I didn't get an offer until signing day so I had to make a split-second decision," Jones said. "But it was a no-brainer. I'm a hometown guy and have always been diehard Mississippi State. I bleed Maroon and White."
Jones capitalized on his opportunity in the classroom as well, earning his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in communications, kinesiology and psychology this past December. He is currently pursuing his master's degree in workforce education.
