On the football field, he is one of the best in the state at what he does.

Ole Brook junior defensive back Jemaurian Jones is defined by many, himself included, as a lockdown corner. The 6-foot-1 cornerback thrives on physicality.

As a superb man corner, he uses his wingspan and size to jam receivers off the line and throw them off routes. Jones also possesses top end speed which he uses to recoverquickly should he get beat on a route or caught in a backpedal.

In fact, it was Jones’ speed that first got the attention of Ole Brook head football coach Tommy Clopton. However, it would not be on a football field that Clopton first noticed the talented young man who he and others in the community often refer to as “JJ”.

“We knew ‘JJ’ was a good athlete coming out of middle school,” Clopton said. “He hit a growth spurt between freshman and sophomore year, but we really began to notice him last spring out on the track.”

Clopton said it was there that he saw the fierce competitive nature of Jones.

“He was running the 100 and 200 meter races, and he always seemed to do his best in the toughest races. He shined against the fastest runners,” the head coach said.

A competitive drive is important on the field, but it is not all that is required, and that is something that Jones firmly believes.

“I really had to grind and work to get to where I am now,” he said. “I had to work in the weight room and the film room. I try to watch film at least a few hours a week so I can see where I messed up and fix it.”

Now, it seems all of his hard work is beginning to pay off. He is two games into his junior year at Brookhaven High School and already has offers from Southern Miss, Jackson State and Memphis among others.

For Jones, all the effort is necessary in order to achieve the goal he set out to conquer during his childhood days playing flag football.
In those days, Jones lined up at the wide receiver position.

“At 7 years old, I knew I wanted to be in the NFL. I knew I would have to work hard to get there, though. It is a dream to do it for my family.”

Speaking of family, the topic is a good spot to begin to describe who Jones is off the field. Growing up in Bogue Chitto and Brookhaven as the eldest brother of five siblings, his family is something he holds dear and what he uses as a motivational force to attain his goal.

“My father and grandfather taught me to have strong family values,” Jones said. “They work hard. They do everything a man should do for his family and they always told us to put family first.”

He added that his mother and father also emphasized that education trumps football and made sure he and his siblings knew its importance.
Whenever the lockdown corner isn’t between the lines he said he likely is out in Bogue Chitto spending time with his cousins and little brothers and riding four-wheelers in the mud.

One of his brothers, Axavian Jones, takes the field with him on Friday nights as a starting safety for Ole Brook.

“It feels good knowing he is back there because I know he has my back,” the junior cornerback said.
The more Jones talked about his ambitions, the clearer it became that it was something he wanted not only for himself, but for his family.

“I won’t say everything was handed to me, but I have always wanted more for myself and my family and I want to use football to achieve it,” he said.
He spoke with an undeniable and immovable conviction.

“I am going to use football to take care of my family. I have to,” Jones said. “I don’t want them to have to work anymore. I want to take care of everyone.”
One day, said the shutdown defensive back who likened himself to Patrick Peterson, he will be able to do just that.