WILLIAMSBURG — As William & Mary gets ready for the 2025 football season, WYDaily caught up with some of the Tribe’s players ahead of Saturday afternoon’s kickoff.
Cornerback Jalen Jones, a Hampton Roads native, started playing football when he was four years old at family parties and barbecues. He would play catch with his brothers and spend time playing Madden on his game system.
“That’s when the love of the game all really started for me,” Jones said.
After redshirting his freshman year, Jones exploded onto the Tribe football field in 2022, earning CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year, VaSID Defensive Rookie of the Year, VaSID All-State Second Team Freshman All-American, All-CAA Second Team and CAA Commissioners Academic Honor Roll accolades. He was also tied for first in the CAA and 15th nationally with four interceptions and was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which honors the national Freshman of the Year in the FCS.
Jones’s sophomore and junior seasons were no different. In 2024, he was honored as a first-team All-America selection by six organizations – The Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, Stats Perform, Phil Steele and FCS Football Central.
While his personal success was important to him, Jones said the 2024 team as a whole did not meet its expectations.
“We had high expectations for last year, and obviously some of that fell short. We had a lot of injuries and our preparations just weren’t there,” Jones said.
The Tribe began prepping for the 2025 season in January, as soon as the team returned from the holiday break.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Jones has already earned a spot on multiple watch lists. He is in the running for the Buck Buchanan Award, an award given annually to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS. He has also been awarded a spot to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January to showcase his skills ahead of the NFL Draft.
In addition, he’s earned preseason All-America honors.
“All the congratulations are nice, but I take it in one ear and out the other. A lot of the preseason accolades are based on what I did last year. I’m focused on this season. I don’t want to sound like I’m just discarding them, but I want to earn those postseason accolades again like I did last year,” Jones said.
As Jones looks to the 2025 schedule, there are a few dates that are circled in red on his calendar.
“A road opener is always a weird game to play in. You have your Elons, your Richmonds, your UVAs; those games are always on my mind. Those games will be really intense and really close,” Jones said.
While preparing for his senior season, he has stepped into a leadership role amongst his teammates.
“The biggest thing for me this year is seeing the growth in the younger guys. I’ve done a lot of my time already, and now is the time to build the rest of the team up. I really enjoy seeing the growth and the learning process with everyone. I want to pass along the growth and learning process that was given to me when I was one of the younger ones on the team,” Jones said.
For more on all things William & Mary football, visit tribeathletics.com.