CLINTON – Mississippi College linebacker and graduate student Jonathan Jones has been chosen as a finalist for the annual C Spire Conerly Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced earlier this week.

Jones, who starred at Northwest from 2017-18, arrived at Mississippi College in 2019 after a brief stint at Southern Miss and has left his lasting impact on the Choctaws' program. In his final season at MC, Jones tallied a team-high 58 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles, while also recording three sacks and 4.5 tackles-for-loss.

In 2019, Jones also finished with 55 total tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, two passes defended and two forced fumbles, earning second team All-Gulf South Conference accolades. Off the field, he was also named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll.

Jones' 2019 contributions were enough to land him a spot on Mississippi College's All-Decade Team, joining former Rangers Marcel Newson, Drake McCarter, Cole Rotenberry and Turner Rotenberry.

At Northwest, Jones tallied 111 career tackles, 4.5 TFLs and three fumble recoveries, earning recognition to JCGridiron.com's Linebacker Watch List. He capped off his Ranger career with a bang, posting 10 or more tackles in his final three games in a Northwest uniform, led by a 16-tackle effort against Itawamba on Oct. 25, 2018.

Jones joins a crowded list of nominees for the Conerly Trophy, including Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral and Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He is the first Northwest alumnus to be nominated for the award since former Southern Miss quarterback Jack Abraham in 2019.

Voting information for the Conerly Trophy will be announced soon and will be shared on Northwest social media outlets.

Now in its 26th year, the C Spire Conerly Trophy is named after the late Charlie Conerly – the only football inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was an All-American at a Mississippi university, an NFL rookie of the year, and NFL All-Pro member and quarterbacked a team to a world championship. Past winners of the Conerly Trophy include Eli Manning, Dak Prescott, Patrick Willis and Deuce McAllister. 

The C Spire Conerly Trophy presentation is scheduled for Tuesday, November 30 at the Country Club of Jackson. A 5:30 P.M. reception will be followed by the 6:30 p.m. dinner program and trophy presentation. For ticket availability or more information, go to msfame.com or call 601-982-8264.