Please forgive Ole Miss senior defensive back Jaylon Jones for not looking back at his 2020 football experience with the fondest of memories.
After a summer filled with nasal swabs and spitting into tubes due to the coronavirus outbreak and the protocols that came with it, Jones was able to play only four games last fall before being shelved with an upper-body injury. Jones could not compete in the first Egg Bowl with Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State’s Mike Leach as coaches, nor could he help the Rebels in their 26-20 topping of Indiana at the Outback Bowl that capped a 5-5 season in Kiffin’s debut.
The Rebels went 4-5 during the regular season, with their Dec. 12 trip to Texas A&M canceled for coronavirus-related reasons.
“I took lessons and experiences away from last year and just trusting in God’s plan,” Jones said at SEC Media Days. “I got to learn more about the mental side of the game since I physically couldn’t be out there. I still game-prepped like I was playing, and I served as extra eyes for the defense.”
Jones amassed 27 tackles in his four contests, which could hardly be described as defensive masterpieces, as Ole Miss allowed at least 33 points in all of them. Florida came to Oxford to open the season and riddled the Rebels 51-35, but Ole Miss had just enough the following week to travel to Kentucky and rally past the Wildcats 42-41 in overtime.