Ole Miss’ leading tackler last season has committed to Mark Stoops to become a Kentucky Wildcat next season.

Jacquez Jones, an inside linebacker from Tuscaloosa, AL was considering South Carolina, Liberty, UCLA and West Virginia as well. With the new intra-conference transfer rule, Jones will be immediately eligible for next season and has two-seasons of eligibility remaining. 

Jones, originally a part of the 2018 recruiting was a three-star recruit and was ranked the No. 15 player in the state of Alabama by ESPN and No. 22 by Rivals. He was rated as the No. 10 of inside linebackers by ESPN coming out of high school. 

The 6-foot, 235-pound linebacker played under Kentucky’s linebacker coach Jon Sumrall before. Sumrall was coaching in Oxford, MS before heading to Lexington for Jones’ freshman year where he amassed 36 tackles, 2.5 for loss and a forced fumble, good enough to earn him a spot on the All-SEC Freshman team in 2018.

Last season, Jones recorded 75 tackles last season, leading the Rebels in that category. He is expected to fill in the role NFL first-round selection Jamin Davis left empty as Davis headed to Washington and the expected replacement D’Eryk Jackson, who tore his Achilles in spring training.

Overall, he played in 33 games with 19 starts, totaling 182 tackles in his career at Ole Miss.

With DeAndre Square heading the linebacker room next season along with Jared Casey, Michigan State transfer Luke Fulton and Trevin Wallace, Jones will be a solid addition to Sumrall’s squad and will be a favorite for extended playing time this fall. 

Below are some highlights from Jones’ time at Ole Miss: