(Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
Tony Jones Jr. wasn’t always sold on Notre Dame. In fact, he wasn’t much of a Notre Dame fan growing up and initially had little interest in coming to South Bend.
His mother had other ideas.
When the calls from Notre Dame started, she insisted that her son at least make a visit. Jones did—and everything changed. He later said he was so impressed that he “just fell in love.” He committed to Notre Dame the next day.
Jones arrived in South Bend in 2016 after an impressive two-sport career at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. On the baseball field, he hit an eye-popping .491. On the football field, he averaged 6.6 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns on just 78 attempts as a senior. He came to Notre Dame as one of the nation’s top running back prospects, but his career would require patience.
Jones first saw significant action as a sophomore in 2017, rushing for 232 yards and three touchdowns behind Josh Adams. He also showed his versatility by becoming an important contributor on special teams.
By 2018, Jones had carved out a larger role behind Dexter Williams during Notre Dame’s run to the College Football Playoff. Against Vanderbilt, he rushed for 118 yards and added 56 receiving yards. Against USC, he turned a screen pass into a 51-yard touchdown that helped the Irish finish an undefeated regular season. Jones did much of it while battling a high ankle sprain. He finished the season with 392 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Finally, as a senior in 2019, the Notre Dame backfield belonged to him.
Jones started 12 games and rushed for 857 yards and six touchdowns, averaging six yards per carry. Against Virginia, he ran for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns. Against USC, he produced the biggest rushing game of his career, pounding out 176 yards on 25 carries in a 30–27 Notre Dame victory.
Then came his final game in an Irish uniform.
Against Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl, Jones broke loose for an 84-yard touchdown run, the longest rushing play in Notre Dame bowl history. He finished with 135 yards on just 11 carries as Notre Dame rolled to a 33–9 victory.
Jones finished his Notre Dame career with 1,481 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and another 273 yards receiving. He was never the biggest star in a backfield that included players such as Adams and Williams, but when his opportunity finally arrived, Jones made it count.
And there was always more to Tony Jones Jr. than the numbers. He played special teams, fought through injuries, waited his turn and brought a personality that made him easy to root for.
A kid who initially didn’t want to visit Notre Dame ended up falling in love with the place—and leaving behind some pretty memorable moments.
Tony Jones Jr., ND 2016–19, is this week’s Fighting Irish Preview All-Time Irish Hero.