Jordan Jones' story isn't unique. Every year, there are plenty of athletes who choose the walk-on route in college sports because they believe they deserve the opportunity to play at a particular level or for a particular program, even if a scholarship wasn't offered.
Such self-confidence and determination is almost a requirement at cornerback, the position Jones plays for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A cornerback is often left in a one-on-one matchup - a situation Jones referred to as being on an island - with the only goal to somehow stop that offensive player without being penalized (not the easiest of tasks these days).
So while his story isn't some new tale, that doesn't make it any less impressive for Jones, one of 17 UTC seniors who will play their final scheduled home game when the Mocs (6-4, 5-2 Southern Conference) host The Citadel (3-7, 2-5) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Finley Stadium.
Even with a win in their regular-season finale, the Mocs will have to sweat out their fate in the hours between the end of the game and the announcement of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs' 24-team bracket. ESPNU will televise the selection special at 12:30 p.m., with UTC waiting to see if it receives one of the 13 at-large berths.
It didn't take long for Jones - whose cousin is All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey of the Los Angeles Rams - to realize he made a good decision by coming to Chattanooga after a solid career at Smyrna High School. As a freshman at the Mocs' 2016 training camp, Jones was matched up early with C.J. Board, now a receiver for the New York Giants, and held his own.
UTC head coach Rusty Wright was an assistant on the staff that helped bring Jones in, and he admitted they "didn't know what they were getting."
"You want to talk about a self-made man? That's what's impressive about Jordan. He is a self-made man. He's worked so hard," Wright said. "Just like he did in the classroom, just like he did on the football field. He never took a day off, and that's what's given him an opportunity to go play.
"That just goes to tell you what he's going to be able to do later on in life, whatever it is."
Jones graduated with a business degree last December, and with his UTC football career near its conclusion, he's right outside the program's top 10 in passes broken up with 15. He also has 115 tackles (5.5 for loss) and a pair of sacks.
"If you're not confident on your island, you'll drown," Jones said. "My confidence comes strictly from my faith and from all the work that I put in throughout the summer and I put in throughout the week to prepare for the game, so when Saturday comes I'm prepared and I can go out there and dominate my opponent.
"Coming to Chattanooga has been a complete blessing, and I can look back and say that Chattanooga really molded me into the man I am but the player that I'm going to continue to be."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.