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Donald Jones: Ole Miss’ loss is Penguins’ gain
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Donald Jones left and Derrick Bush react after Jones scored a TD for the Penguins Saturday.
By Pete Mollica
The New Jersey speedster almost was playing for the University of Mississippi, but ended up here.
YOUNGSTOWN — Anybody who’s watched Youngstown State wide receiver Donald Jones in action knows just how lucky the Penguins are to have a receiver of his caliber.
Jones is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound speedster from Plainfield, N.J., who’s had a few setbacks, first out of high school and then after junior college, which probably kept him from playing for some Bowl Championship Series team.
He had high hopes after graduating from Plainfield High School, but had trouble getting through the NCAA clearing house and ended up going to Lackawanna (Pa.) Community College.
After two stellar seasons at Lackawanna — he caught 42 passes for 748 yards and five touchdowns his second season — Jones had hopes of going to the University of Mississippi.
Fortunately the YSU coaches were right on the spot when things didn’t work out with Ole Miss and they quickly gobbled him up.
“Things just didn’t work out with Ole Miss and the YSU coaches were there and I knew about the great tradition they had here so it didn’t take long to make a decision,” Jones said.
And he was a hit from the moment he walked on to the field last fall.
He played in all 12 games, starting eight of them, and caught 31 passes for 510 yards, which was best on the team. He also had a team-high seven touchdown catches, the most by a Penguin since 1998. He also was the first Penguin player to catch a TD pass in four consecutive games since Herb Williams in 1992.
Six of his seven touchdown passes came in conference games.
And he just kept getting better.
In the final four games of the season — the Penguins won twice — he had 16 receptions for 351 yards and five touchdown. He had six receptions against Indiana State and a season-high 136 yards against Illinois State. He also had seven receptions of 25 yards or more.
He is a fierce competitor and twice last season was credited with making the Derek Pixley hit of the week against Missouri State and Illinois State.
Jones was also named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-newcomer team.
This spring, though, Jones has been very inactive.
“I tweaked a hamstring during winter workouts and the coaches felt that they didn’t want me to take a chance on aggravating it this spring,” he said. “I probably could have practiced with it.”
Jones said he’s still got some work to do to get his game to the next level.
“I definitely need to work on my blocking in the perimeter and I also still need to work on mastering the system and just to keep working hard and do everything that I can to make this a better football team,” he added.
Jones worked pretty well with quarterback Brandon Summers last season, but knows the two will have to work even harder this summer.
“Brandon has gotten a lot better since last year, but new we need to get together this summer and work on our timing, especially since I haven’t been able to practice this spring,” said Jones. “We need to make sure we have everything down pat by the time camp begins.”
Jones said he, along with the rest of the seniors, are going to do everything they can to avoid another season like last year’s 4-8 finish.
“It’s our senior season and we want it to be the best year we can ever have,” he added.
“Being a senior means a lot here at Youngstown State. Seniors are always called on to be leaders, but everybody who is out there playing, seniors or not, needs to be contributing to that leadership role also,” he added.
The Penguins are holding their final spring workout this morning and then will take part in the Red and White spring game Friday at 7:30 p.m.
mollica@vindy.com