Tag: J.J. Jones

1,000-yard transfer wide receiver includes UNC in his Final Three destinations

A top FCS transfer included UNC in his final three football destinations.

With J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum playing their last games in Chapel Hill during the 2024 college football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have a big need for experienced talent at wide receiver entering the fall.

Jones is hoping to gain an extra year of eligibility, as he played just two games in 2021, but McCollum has a full five seasons under his belt.

UNC could be getting some needed help from the transfer portal, as on Monday, January 6, Chattanooga transfer wide receiver Javin Whatley included UNC amongst his final three destinations.

Whatley is deciding between North Carolina, Arizona and Memphis, the last of which beat West Virginia in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.

Whatley isn’t just any ordinary pass-catcher: he’s a consistent, productive talent who helped Chattanooga to three straight winning seasons. Whatley has 2,175 receiving yards, 18 touchdowns and 140 catches over his first three years as a Moc, including a career-best 56 catches in 2024.

Chattanooga knows how to win football games – and as we previously mentioned, Whatley plays a major role in his school’s success. The Mocs went just 7-5 in 2024, but are two seasons removed from a second round appearance in the NCAA FCS playoffs.

Jones totaled 592 receiving yards to lead the Tar Heels in 2024, but Whatley clears Jones’ mark by over the century mark, recording 697 yards last year. Trailing Jones included tight end John Copenhaver (414), who also has no more eligibility.

I feel confident several additional transfers will choose to continue their college football careers at UNC, thanks to head coach Bill Belichick, but snagging Whatley would undoubtedly be a massive victory.

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UNC football star JJ Jones preparing to play his last collegiate game in Fenway Bowl

UNC wide receiver J.J. Jones continues fighting for an extra year of eligibility.

The North Carolina Tar Heels entered their 2024 college football season with plenty of questions, with one of their most important questions being who would replace the production of Devontez Walker as WR1?

UNC quickly found its answer in the form of J.J. Jones, a senior wide receiver from Myrtle Beach, SC.

Jones caught 34 passes for 570 yards and a career-high six touchdowns during the regular season, with his best statistical game coming in a blowout win over Virginia. Jones’ yardage total was 220 more than the next-closest receiver, Kobe Paysour.

Similar to Walker last year, Jones is fighting for an extra year of eligibility. That appears to be a battle Jones will lose, though.

On Friday, December 27, Jones told Tar Heel Illustrated’s Nick Delahanty the NCAA denied his appeal for an extra year of eligibility.

Delahanty mentioned that Jones will try one more time for an extra eligibility push, but it looks like the Fenway Bowl will be Jones’ last game at North Carolina.

Jones doesn’t get a COVID year (started in 2021), so why is he asking for an extra year? Jones is arguing the 2021 season: as he was initially a redshirt, but that was removed during the Notre Dame game.

If Jones is playing his final game as a Tar Heel, we’ve enjoyed having him in Chapel Hill. I can’t think of a player who will support his teammates more than Jones: he was the first to wear Tylee Craft’s jersey in a game, plus he launched NC State’s flag into the stands after an unsuccessful plant attempt.

UNC has a 4-game losing streak in bowl games, so the Fenway Bowl would be a perfect time for Jones to deliver a career day.

If Jones IS somehow granted extra eligibility, though, North Carolina’s 2025 roster becomes significantly more dangerous.

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UNC football team named a Week 9 winner by USA Today

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ blowout victory earned them some Week 9 recognition from USA Today.

With four straight losses and an unthinkable tragedy fresh on their minds last weekend, the North Carolina Tar Heels did the unthinkable: win a football game.

Not only did UNC (4-4, 1-3) beat Virginia and move just two wins away from bowl eligibility, but UNC won in dominating fashion – 41-14.

North Carolina played well in just about every aspect last weekend, including defense. The Tar Heels dropped 40 points on an opponent for the fourth time this season, while their defense generated 10 sacks, the highest amount in 24 seasons.

With UNC delivering arguably its most well-rounded performance of 2024, it should come – as no surprise – that USA Today dubbed UNC one of its Week 9 winners.

“The clock may still be ticking on Mack Brown’s second tenure at North Carolina, but a 41-14 win against Virginia rights the ship on the heels of a four-game losing streak and puts the Tar Heels back on track for a bowl bid,” USA Today’s Paul Myerberg wrote. “Defensively, UNC gave up only 288 yards of offense after allowing 41.5 points per game during the losing streak, including 70 points to James Madison and 41 points last week against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels had 10 sacks, forced a pair of turnovers and held the Cavaliers to just 7 yards on 29 carries.”

J.J. Jones finally showcased WR1-level production, catching five passes for a career-high 129 yards. Seven different Tar Heels recorded a sack, led by three from Kaimon Rucker.

North Carolina’s season looked lost after losing to Georgia Tech. Now, all of a sudden, UNC has a chance to move back above .500 this coming weekend at Florida State.

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J.J. Jones and Kaimon Rucker snag weekly ACC honors for UNC football program

J.J. Jones and Kaimon Rucker were the two greatest reasons why UNC obliterated Virginia in ACC football action Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels played the type of football we’ve all been waiting for on Saturday, dismantling the Virginia Cavaliers by a 41-14 score.

After trailing by a field goal early in the first quarter, UNC took the lead for good on J.J. Jones‘ first of two touchdowns receptions. Jones enjoyed arguably his best college game, catching five passes for two touchdowns a career-high 129 yards.

North Carolina’s defense made a complete 180 from the Georgia Tech game, never allowing Virginia to settle into a rhythm and generating 10 sacks. Kaimon Rucker, the Tar Heels’ top edge rusher, led the sack party with three of his own.

It should come as no surprise that, because of their impacts on Saturday’s much-needed victory, Jones and Rucker earned ACC Weekly Honors.

Jones was tabbed the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week, while Rucker was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

After struggling to find consistency at the wide receiver spot all season, UNC finally found its top guy in Jones. His five receptions matched a 2024-best, set against James Madison in Week 4, then matched the following weekend at Duke.

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Rucker missed several games earlier this season while recovering from a torn meniscus, but looked like his 2023 self on Saturday. Rucker was healthy, moving around quickly and in the Cavaliers’ backfield virtually every play.

Jones and Rucker will look to build upon their standout Week 9 performances on Saturday, Nov. 2, as North Carolina will face Florida State at 3:30 p.m.

Can the Tar Heels stay focused and not overlook a struggling Seminoles squad?

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J.J. Jones sets career high, steps up to lead UNC’s offense in big win at Virginia

J.J. Jones stepped up to lead UNC’s wide receiver room on Saturday at Virginia, setting a career high in the big victory.

Ever since losing Devontez Walker to the NFL Draft in April, the North Carolina Tar Heels have been looking for a wide receiver to step up and lead their pass-catching unit.

Several receivers have shown flashes of potential of UNC’s first seven games, but no one showed a difference-making performance.

That all changed on Saturday afternoon.

In North Carolina’s 41-14 drubbing of Virginia, which moved it two wins away from bowl eligiblity and to .500 overall on the season, graduate wide receiver J.J. Jones caught five passes for a career-high 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Jones’ first touchdown reception gave the Tar Heels a lead they never relinquished, catching a 37-yard strike from Jacolby Criswell for a 6-3 advantage, with just over five minutes left in the first quarter.

With five seconds left in the first half, Jones pulled in a 31-yard strike from Criswell – even against pass interference from Cavaliers cornerback Jam Jackson. Jones’ second score extended UNC’s lead to 23-6, giving his team some much-needed breathing room going into halftime.

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Today’s outing was Jones’ second-straight game with a touchdown, as he caught one two weeks ago against Georgia Tech.

Jones’ previous 2024 yardage high came last month at archrival Duke, when he caught a touchdown as part of a 5-catch, 89-yard day. Jones recorded a season-best 711 receiving yards last year, catching passes from Drake Maye.

It’s encouraging to see Jones develop this type of chemistry with Criswell, as North Carolina seems to finally have another big-play receiver.

What can Jones do for an encore next week in Tallahassee, as the Tar Heels look to move over .500 and get their second-straight ACC win, against a struggling Florida State squad?

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UNC dominates Virginia from opening kickoff, gets first ACC win with complete performance

The Tar Heels marched into Scott Stadium Saturday afternoon and turned their season around against Virginia, dominating in every aspect of a 27-point blowout.

I don’t know if it was the bye week, the beautiful fall air or just a hunger for victory, but the UNC football team put together its most complete performance of 2024 on Saturday afternoon at Virginia.

North Carolina’s offense moved the ball and scored at will, defense prevented the Cavaliers from gaining any sort of momentum and, when the final seconds ticked away in the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels left Charlottesville with a 41-14 victory.

Today’s win meant more than just any other win – it was in honor of Tylee Craft.

UNC (4-4, 1-3 ACC) took the lead for good on Jacolby Criswell’s first touchdown pass, a 37-yard strike to J.J. Jones with 5:23 left in the opening quarter, then distanced itself from Virginia with a 17-point second quarter.

North Carolina’s offense was good in the first half, but its defense was great. The Tar Heels generated six sacks, after not recording a single one two weeks ago – and held the Cavaliers to under 100 yards.

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When the game ended, UNC increased its sack total to 10, led by three from Kaimon Rucker. North Carolina limited Virginia to 288 yards, the lowest yardage total an opponent has gained against the Tar Heels since Week 3, when NC Central gained just 167 yards.

Omarion Hampton delivered yet another signature performance for the UNC offense, carrying the football 26 times for 105 yards and two touchdown. Not only was today Hampton’s third game of the year with multiple touchdowns – or sixth-consecutive game with 100 yards – but Hampton reached 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season.

All year long, North Carolina had been looking for a wide receiver to step up lead its unit. J.J. Jones did exactly that today, catching five Criswell passes for a career-high 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Now two weeks removed from a fourth-consecutive defeat, the Tar Heels only need two more wins to reach a bowl game.

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UNC loses its leading pass-catcher to a broken wrist

The UNC offense suffered a major blow on Monday afternoon…

It’s not like the North Carolina Tar Heels will win a bunch more games this football season, but their offense has the ability to at least keep them close with opponents.

UNC has shifted to a run-first offense this year, led by star running back Omarion Hampton. North Carolina has an okay passing attack, led by fifth-year quarterback Jacolby Criswell, but it’s missing a Drake Maye-caliber QB. The Tar Heels also have a solid receiving corps, but one that’s extremely young and lacks a true number one guy like Devontez Walker.

UNC’s already-inexperienced receiving corps just received a massive blow on Monday afternoon, as Inside Carolina’s Ben Sherman announced that starting tight end Bryson Nesbit will miss several weeks with a fractured wrist.

Through seven games this season, Nesbit leads North Carolina with 24 receptions. Nesbit is also tied with fellow tight end John Copenhaver for a team-best three touchdown receptions, plus Nesbit is second to J.J. Jones in receiving yards (264).

Good news for Nesbit and the Tar Heels: they have a bye week this coming weekend, which will allow Nesbit to rest up and recover from injury a bit. He likely won’t be back for the Virginia game in two weeks, but could return for a Nov. 2 road date with Florida State.

With Nesbit now out, look for UNC to rely more on Copenhaver and Texas A&M transfer tight end Jake Johnson. Jones will also now likely take on a larger role at receiver, while North Carolina will call upon other pass-catchers to step up.

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JJ Jones scores touchdown while honoring late wide receiver Tylee Craft

Seeing what J.J. Jones did to honor his late teammate, Tylee Craft, in Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech will have you in tears.

I can’t even begin to tell you how emotional the postgame press conference was after UNC’s 41-34 loss to Georgia Tech.

Sure, it was frustrating that North Carolina lost its fourth straight game and watched its season continue to spiral, but that is the furthest thing from players and coaches’ minds right now.

To open up his postgame press conference, Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown delivered the sad news that Tylee Craft, a UNC wide receiver who had been fighting lung cancer since 2022, passed away earlier this morning.

Brown didn’t tell his players until after the game, though, as he didn’t want them distracted from the task of trying to beat the Yellow Jackets.

During the game, though, North Carolina found a great way to honor Craft. The Tar Heels’ number one receiver, J.J. Jones, wore Craft’s Number 13 jersey.

Even more special for UNC and the Craft family, Jones scored a touchdown in the second quarter and honored Craft in his celebration.

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“That was so cool,” North Carolina head coach Mack Brown said of Jones’ celebration and idea to wear Craft’s jersey. “:ast night when JJ came up and said, “Would it be okay for me to wear his number, his jersey?” I said, “You want his name on the back?” He said yes. I said yes you can, but ask his mom. He (J.J.) said, “Coach one different receiver wants to wear it every week. I said, we’ll make it happen.”

Jones ended his day with 64 yards and a touchdown, his second in three games, on three receptions. Jones now has 364 receiving yards on 21 catches, good enough for 17.3 yards per catch.

Having Craft on their hearts during the game, not knowing he had already passed, must’ve been extremely heavy.

I couldn’t think of a better way the Tar Heels to honor Craft than with J.J. Jones wearing Craft’s jersey.

Thank you for being a light in the UNC football program, Tylee. You may be gone but you’re never forgotten.

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JJ Jones honoring teammate by wearing his jersey during UNC-Georgia Tech football game

UNC’s top receiver, J.J. Jones, is honoring sick teammate Tylee Craft in one of the best ways possible.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will look to turn their football season around today against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2) is a team that historically gives UNC (3-3, 0-2 ACC) trouble, winning five of the last six matchups. To make matters worse, North Carolina hasn’t beaten the Yellow Jackets in Kenan Stadium since 2016, when Mitch Trubisky was the starting quarterback in Chapel Hill.

Regardless of how today’s game in Kenan goes, the Tar Heels will be playing for something more.

UNC has dubbed its Week 7 clash its Cancer Awareness game, as it honors wide receiver Tylee Craft, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 and is currently in the hospital fighting.

One North Carolina player is taking it a step further to honor Tylee, as number one wide receiver J.J. Jones will be wearing Craft’s jersey during the game.

Jones only has one touchdown on the season, but he has a Tar Heels-best 300 receiving yards.

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UNC players and coaches previously wore shirts to honor Tylee during their Bell Tower Walk this morning.

Tylee originally came to Chapel Hill as the Class of 2020’s’ seventh-ranked player in South Carolina. Tylee was able to suit up for North Carolina before his unfortunate cancer diagnosis, playing 11 games between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, at wide receiver and on special teams.

Craft was originally supposed to be at the Pitt game last weekend, but he found himself back in the hospital.

The Tar Heels are trying to beat Georgia Tech today, but they’ll be doing so with something much greater on their minds.

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UNC wide receiver among semifinalist for Campbell Trophy

A Tar Heels receiver has made the semifinal list for the Campbell Trophy!

Senior Tar Heel receiver J.J. Jones is up for another award after being named a semifinalist in the Campbell Trophy. This season, Jones has played in four games for North Carolina and has 11 receptions for 175 yards in a slow start to the season. He is still waiting on his first score of the year.

He is coming off of his best season in his junior year where he totaled 46 receptions for 711 yards and three touchdowns in Drake Maye’s final season.

According to the Football Foundation, “Celebrating its 35th year, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.”

This year, there was a record number of 203 semifinalists. This number is two more than the previous 201 record.

“The impressive list of candidates, from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, boasts an impressive 3.63 average GPA, with more than half of the semifinalists having already earned their bachelor’s degrees.”

Jones has plenty of season left to continue to step up after having his best offense game in the 70-50 loss to James Madison. This week, the team will head on the road to take on Duke in the Victory Bell Battle.

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