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-> This UConn football team has some personality to go with the pulse detected after last season’s turnaround. And players aren’t afraid to show it.
Linebacker Jackson Mitchell is the strong, introspective type; Jones begins a reporters’ scrum with an opening statement, like a coach. Tight end Justin Joly, who produces content for the university TV station, stands behind the pack while teammates speak, and was itching to get his chance before he finally did last week.
Now, Jones, 6 feet, 199 pounds, a junior, is next-level hungry, next-level curious, next-level exuberant.
“The type of defense we play is team defense,” he says “So if everybody’s not on the same page, it won’t flow together. So to be on the same page, I have to know what my linebackers doing, know what my D-line’s doing, which way the front is getting set; where the pressure’s going. I need to know that. So as a safety, I’ve got to be vocal, so I’m asking questions. With a guy like Coach Mora, it’s only right to ask questions and pick his brain.
“He knows so much, and I’ve got to know it. I need to know it. To keep elevating my game and take it to the level I want it to be at, I need to ask questions. You can never be too prepared. You can never ask too many questions.” <-
-> “Who wouldn’t love getting play calls from the sideline from Jim Mora every day?” Jones asks. “Me and him, we’re on the same page, we talk a lot, especially on game days. He asks me how I’m feeling, I’m asking how he’s feeling. We’re working together on calls. I’ve got a little say-so on some calls, he’s asking me what I’m thinking, I’m picking his mind, what he’s thinking. It works out perfectly to have him call our defense.” <-
