Georgia Football's Kirby Smart laments that great stories like Cash Jones may vanish from college football
The Georgia Bulldogs running back room looked like it was in bad shape heading into the Clemson game last weekend. Trevor Etienne was out. Roderick Robinson was fresh off surgery to address his toe injury. The team was going to have to turn to Branson Robinson coming off his ACL injury, two true freshman in […]
The Georgia Bulldogs running back room looked like it was in bad shape heading into the Clemson game last weekend. Trevor Etienne was out. Roderick Robinson was fresh off surgery to address his toe injury. The team was going to have to turn to Branson Robinson coming off his ACL injury, two true freshman in Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens, and a walk-on in Cash Jones. Who would step up?
While Nate Frazier got a ton of the attention as he tallied over 100 yards from scrimmage, Kirby Smart wanted to make sure that fans didn't forget the more quiet contributors who made a difference as well. Immediately following the victory it wasn't his quarterback or some other star player Smart focused on in post-game on-field interviews. It was walk-on running back Cash Jones.
Cash Jones: Walk-on to SEC star
When asked about the game and Cash Jones specifically again on Wednesday, Kirby Smart couldn't help but heap praise on the walk-on yet again. Why? Jones executed at a high level in multiple key moments that set the stage for the complete destruction of the Clemson Tigers.
The blitz pickup that Kirby Smart alluded to in his post-game comments was the first major offensive play Jones made. With future top NFL Draft pick Barrett Carter sprinting into the backfield on a blitz Cash Jones sacrificed his body, attacking the much bigger linebacker for a perfect pass protection block. And it was that pass protection from Jones that bought Carson Beck just enough time to find true sophomore wide receiver London Humphreys on the crossing route for what would become a 40-yard touchdown play (as you can see in the post below).
And what makes Cash Jones so special isn't just how he contributes on the field, but the story, the unquenchable thirst for greatness, and the work ethic that took Jones from walk-on to solid SEC football star. Smart had this to say on Jones this Wednesday:
"Oh, it just shows you the value of walk-ons. And I think it's been discussed at nauseam and for a long time about the value that walk-ons bring to your organization. The opportunity that it presents for kids to go out and overcome all obstacles, and show everybody that they were wrong about him. And [Cash Jones] has done that in terms of the amount of recruiting [offers and interest] he had coming out. And you know, it's unfortunate that in this new model we're going to be looking at the possibility of not having stories like that. And that that hurts me because there's so many great stories like him. That'll be hard to come by now."
As the NCAA's new revenue sharing model comes into play as soon as 2025, schools may be less inclined to offer roster spots to true walk-on players as they will require compensation from the universities themselves. That could mean the end of walk-on college athletes as we have we know them currently. And that is sad, because there are so many incredible walk-on stories that we might miss in the future, just like Cash Jones. Smart continued:
"[Cash] is a tremendous kid, sets a great example, and has made himself into a really high quality SEC football player. People don't see what he does without the ball. I mean, he had two of the three of the best reps we've ever had on punt return in the game that nobody even talks about. And he's really special."
Jones really does contribute aggressively with a tenacity that is unmatched by most players at any level of college football. And apparently, it doesn't matter what task he's asked to do. Pass protection? Special teams? You name it, and Cash Jones is going to give it his all.
But the play of the day by any Georgia Bulldog also may have been made by Jones. It was his only carry of the game, but Jones made it count. It was a counter run with blocking action faking to the right. Jones bounced the play to the outside left, stiff-armed a defender flat to the ground at full sprint, and finished for the touchdown as he was stumbling, diving along the sideline with two defenders collapsing in on him. Just an unbelievable play.
It's plays like that from Cash Jones that should give Georgia fans plenty of hope that regardless of who is carrying the ball this season for the Bulldogs that yards are going to be had and points are going to be scored. And it truly it is amazing that Jones was a walk-on level talent when he arrived in Athens. He sure doesn't look like it now.
Let's hope coach Kirby Smart is wrong and this new era of revenue sharing in college football doesn't get rid of walk-on stories like Jones in the future.
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