‘Where else would you rather be?’: Jamere Jones thriving in final season at UNK
With Northwest Missouri St. on the brink of scoring at the end of the game against UNK, Jamere Jones had one message to his team.
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KEARNEY, Neb. — With Northwest Missouri State on the brink of scoring at the end of the game against UNK, Jamere Jones had one message to his team.
“Where else would you rather be is what I was saying to my boys," Jones said. "Where else would you rather be? Back against the wall, here we are.”
It turned out, the safety was in a pretty good place. He made the game-winning interception in the end zone.
“It kind of got thrown right to me, but I was in my zone where I was supposed to be underneath," Jones said. "The ball came to me and, hey, the football gads. Put in the hours and they’ll reward you sometimes.”
But Jones hasn’t always been in the easiest place. He grew up in poverty in Maryland and attended four different high schools. He spent three years at Shaw University in North Carolina before transferring to Nebraska-Kearney.
“I haven’t had any bad experiences," Jones said. "These people — Nebraska nice, isn’t that what they say? It’s crazy because I moved from the South, but it’s been a great experience.”
The past two years, Jones has played under defensive coordinator Tim Schaffner.
“He’s taken a different road to get here," Schaffner said. "The fact that he’s here and excelling makes me want to invest more in him because I know he’s invested in himself.”
“We just really focused him up, got him onto the details," Schaffner said. "To watch him, it’s been a thing of beauty.”
After two games, Jones has two interceptions. The hot start is a relief for the senior in his sixth and final season of college football.
“Oh my gosh, it’s like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," Jones said. "Honestly, it’s been great.“
While continuing his pick-per-game pace would be great, Jones isn’t focused on individual goals. He’s concentrating on being a positive leader.
“I want to create a foundation before I leave Kearney,” Jones said. “I want to be remembered. That’s it, I really just want to be remembered. Great players, they make their teammates better, and that’s what I want to do.”
That mindset has his team in a great place to start the season.