Zay Jones
East Carolina Pirates No. 7 | |
---|---|
Position | Wide receiver |
Class | Senior |
Career history | |
College |
|
High school | Stephen F. Austin |
Personal information | |
Date of birth | March 30, 1995 |
Place of birth | Dallas, Texas |
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight | 197 lb (89 kg) |
Isaiah 'Zay' Avery Jones (born March 30, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the East Carolina Pirates. One of the most decorated receivers in NCAA history, Jones is the all-time NCAA Division 1 career receptions leader (399) as well as the all-time NCAA Division 1 single season receptions leader (158). During his senior campaign, he led the nation in both receptions and receiving yards, thereby arguably establishing himself as the most prolific receiver in NCAA history as well as becoming one of three finalist for the 2016 Biletnikoff Award.[1][2][3]
Early years
Jones attended Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas. He committed to East Carolina University to play college football.[4]
College career
Jones played in 13 games and made eight starts as a true freshman at East Carolina in 2013. He finished second on the team with 62 receptions for 604 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had 81 receptions for 830 yards and five touchdowns. As a junior he recorded 98 receptions for 1,099 yards and five touchdowns.[5] During his senior season in 2016, he set a school record for receptions in a game with 22, breaking the previous record of 17 held by Justin Hardy[6] and then went on to break the school record for receptions in a season, also held by Hardy, nine games into the season. Subsequently, Jones became the NCAA Division I football all-time single season leader in receptions with 158 for the 2016 season, breaking the record of 155 set by Freddie Barnes of Bowling Green in 2009.[7][8] Additionally, Jones became the NCAA Division I football career leader in receptions with 399 receptions from 2013–2016, breaking the all-time NCAA record of 387 held by his former ECU Pirate teammate Justin Hardy.[9] Jones was also named as one of three finalists for the 2016 Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the nations best receiver in college football.[10]
Personal
His father, Robert Jones, also played at East Carolina and in the NFL and his brother, Cayleb Jones, played college football at Arizona.[11] His uncle Jeff Blake also played at East Carolina as well as the NFL.[12]
References
- ↑ http://www.espn.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/receiving/sort/receivingYards/year/2016/group/80
- ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/another-record-ecus-zay-jones-015947245.html
- ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/zay-jones-named-one-of-three-finalists-for-biletnikoff-award/amp/
- ↑ Isaiah Jones picks ECU
- ↑ Jones in game mode
- ↑ http://www.nsjonline.com/article/2016/09/ecu-football-zay-jones-record
- ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/another-record-ecus-zay-jones-015947245.html
- ↑ Jones, ECU still motivated
- ↑ http://sports.yahoo.com/news/another-record-ecus-zay-jones-015947245.htmlhttp://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2016/11/21/zay-jones-isaiah-east-carolina-ncaa-college-football-receptions-record-wide-receiver/94166144/
- ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/zay-jones-named-one-of-three-finalists-for-biletnikoff-award/amp/
- ↑ ECU receiver Isaiah Jones says football-focused family fuels his success
- ↑ ECU’s Jones making plays, impact, just like dad did