Jones signs to play for the Bulldogs

Swainsboro’s own Demello Jones signed a letter of intent to play football for the University of Georgia Bulldogs Wednesday, December 20. Jones was recruited by over 20 of college foot-ball’s top programs over the last two years including Tennessee, Alabama, Texas A & M, University of Florida, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame.

According to On3 Elite, a website devoted to delivering news, analysis, data, and insights on college sports, Jones was one of the top defensive back prospects in the 2024 recruiting cycle. In fact, he is considered a four-star recruit, which means he is highly regarded for his size, strength, speed, and skill. These athletes are versatile players who can excel at multiple posi-tions and have the potential to be stars at the college level.

This is a great description of the athlete Jones has been for Swainsboro High School. During his four years, he played football, basketball, and track, and received many accolades along the way. In football, he led the Tigers to two back-to-back state championship games (2022/2023) and was named the Class 2A Division I Player of the Year both years. In the December 11 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he became the first player in the history of the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) to score touchdowns rushing, receiving, and on defense in the state finals. His class won eleven playoff games, which is the most in school history in any class.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Jones as one of the Super 11 players. He was also named an Under Armour All-American, which means he is one of top 100 players in the na-tion. ESPN considers him the number three cornerback in the country. He was recently named to the 2023 Touchdown Club of Atlanta First-Team All-State Defense as a defensive back.

In track, he is a state champion in the 100-Meter Dash as well as the 4×100 Relay (with Ty Adams, Jordon Williams, and Qin Brown). In April of 2023, this team broke the school rec-ord with a time of 41.67.

Head Football Coach Scott Roberts says Jones definitely made his mark at SHS. “He’s a great competitor. He is so unselfish and just wants to do whatever he can to help his team win. We appreciate all he did for our program and this community.” Assistant Coach Morgan Jer-sey adds to that saying, “I’ve never seen his level of natural ability in a high school football player. His work ethic is unmatched, and I am very impressed by his ability to stay humble.”

Aside from football, Jones reached another big milestone this month. He finished high school December 15. This is not something that happens very often and Principal Brandon An-drews shares a little of how this was able to work for Jones. “Swainsboro High School’s mis-sion is to prepare students for their futures using rigorous standards. Demello is a great ex-ample of how to meet those standards when you are focused on a goal.” He will come back to walk with his class in May, but as of now, he is a graduate and will report to Athens in January.

A signing ceremony was held in the Commons Area where Jones was joined by his family and many Swainsboro Tiger fans. His mother Kim Jones shared the pride she has in her son by saying, “I thank God for this opportunity. I am so proud of his integrity and have re-minded him over the years how important it is to remember he is a role model for others.” Besides his mother, Jones was joined by other family members including his brothers Derrick Jones and Quan Akins, sisters D’Andrea and Derihanna Jones, his grandmother Katherine Brown, his aunts Glenice Wynn and Mary Brown, and his uncles Hosea Wynn and Harold Scott. Other attendees were Principal Andrews, Assistant Principal Lindsey Sconyers, Emanuel County Schools Superintendent Scotty Hattaway, coaches, teachers, central office staff, and fellow teammates.