Ronald Jones II, RB USC

CAREER: He has run for 2,069 yards on 330 carries (6.3 avg) with 20 TDs and caught 18 passes for 115 yards (6.4 avg) with 2 TDs in his career.  He is 17th on USC’s career rushing list with 2,069 yards.  His 6.27 career yards per carry is fourth best among those on USC’s Top 40 all-time rushing ladder.  He has 5 100-yard rushing games in his career.  He has 6 career starts.

2017: The explosive Jones, who also has sprinted for USC’s track team, returns as a starting tailback as a junior in 2017 and should be among the nation’s top running backs.

2016: After making quite an impression with his record-breaking showing in 2015 as a rookie, Jones was made an even bigger impact as a sophomore tailback in 2016. Overall in 2016 while appearing in all 13 games and starting the final 6 regular season games, he ran for a team-best 1,082 yards on 177 carries (6.1 avg) with 12 TDs and had 11 caches for 76 yards (6.9 avg) with 1 TD. His 1,082 rushing yards in 2016 marked the 29th time a Trojan eclipsed the 1,000-yard season rushing mark and ranks 27th on USC’s season list. He had 4 100-yard rushing games in 2016, all in the last 5 regular-season contests. He ran for a TD in each of the last 7 games and had 4 multi-TD games in 2016. He made the 2016 Campus Insiders Sophomore All-American honorable mention, All-Pac-12 second team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 second team. He won USC’s 2016 Jack Oakie “Rise and Shine” Award (most electrifying run).

He had 46 yards on 7 carries and caught a 2-yard pass against Alabama. Against Utah State, he had 8 yards on 5 tries before being sidelined with bruised ribs. He rushed for 63 yards on 11 carries at Stanford, with a short scoring run. He had 15 yards on 8 rushes at Utah. He had 20 yards on 5 carries against Arizona State. He had 56 yards on 10 attempts (he also had a 9-yard reception) against Colorado. At Arizona, he got his first career start and ran for 77 yards on 16 ties (with a 5-yard TD) and he had a 7-yard reception. Against California, he ran for a career-high 223 yards on 18 carries (12.4 average) with a 37-yard TD (along with non-scoring bursts of 61 and 42 yards), the most rushing yards by a Trojan since Allen Bradford also had 223 against Washington in 2010 and the second most by a USC sophomore behind Shawn Walters’ 234 in 1994 versus Stanford (he also had 2 catches for 18 yards, including a 16-yard score) to earn Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention. Against Oregon, he tied a USC game record by rushing for 4 touchdowns (23, 3, 66, 1 yards) to become the 14th Trojan to do so (most recently, LenDale White versus Arizona in 2005) while he gained a game-best 171 yards on a career-high 20 carries (8.6 yards per rush) and, combined with his 223 yards in the previous game, his 2-game rushing total of 394 yards was the most in consecutive games by a Trojan since Reggie Bush’s 554 in 2005 versus Fresno State and UCLA (he also caught 2 passes for 26 yards) and thereby earning Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention. At Washington, he had a game-best 94 yards on a career-high 23 carries, with a 4-yard TD. He had a game-best 121 yards on 18 carries with 2 TDs (1 and 60 yards, with the second coming on third-and-1) and he caught a 5-yard pass at UCLA. He ran for 134 yards on 16 carries (8.4 average per rush), including a 51-yard TD, against Notre Dame. He ran for 55 yards on 20 carries, with a short TD, and added 2 catches for 3 yards against Penn State (he wore jersey #4 in honor of late USC tailback Joe McKnight).

2015: Jones made an immediate impact as an often-used backup first-year freshman tailback in 2015. Overall in 2015 while appearing in all 14 games, he had a team-best 987 yards on 153 carries (6.5 avg) with 8 TDs and 7 receptions for 39 yards (5.6 avg) with 1 TD. He joined LenDale White as the only true freshmen to lead USC in rushing in a season (White did so in 2003). His 987 rushing yards broke Heisman Trophy winner Charles White’s 39-year-old USC freshman season rushing record (858 yards in 1976). He was 18th nationally in yards per carry (6.5, second in Pac-12). He made 2015 All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 third team.

He had 86 yards on 6 carries with a 44-yard TD against Arkansas State. Against Idaho, he had a team-best 83 yards on 8 carries (10.4 average) with a 1-yard TD (1 play after a 44-yard burst) and caught a 15-yard pass. He had 19 yards on 6 attempts and a 5-yard reception against Stanford. He had a team-best 54 yards on 10 carries at Arizona State. He had 8 carries for 65 yards with a short TD against Washington. He had a team-best 73 yards on 6 carries (with a 65-yard run) at Notre Dame. He had a game-best 73 yards on 15 carries (with an 18-yard TD) versus Utah. He had a game-best 80 yards on 11 carries, with a 13-yard TD, at California. He set the USC freshman game rushing yardage record as he ran for 177 yards on 19 carries (breaking LenDale White’s 2003 mark by 37 yards), with a 74-yard TD burst, and he also caught a 5-yard scoring pass against Arizona to earn Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention and USC’s Jack Oakie “Rise and Shine” Award (for longest run from scrimmage). He had 61 yards on 19 tries and he caught a pass for no yards at Colorado. He had 56 yards on 14 carries (with a 12-yard TD run) and he also had a reception for minus 1 yard at Oregon. He had 63 yards on 17 tries versus UCLA to set the USC freshman season rushing yardage record and he also had a 3-yard reception. Against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game, he had 50 yards on 6 tries with a 27-yard TD. He had 47 yards on 8 carries and a 12-yard reception against Wisconsin.

TRACK: He sprinted briefly for USC’s track team in the spring of 2016.  In his only appearance, he ran the third leg on USC’s victorious 400-meter relay team in the UCLA Dual (the quartet clocked 39.89).

HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2014 Prep Star All-American Dream Team and USA Today All-Texas as a senior running back at McKinney (Tex.) North High. He ran for 2,009 yards (8.4 avg) with 28 TDs as a senior in 2014.

As a junior in 2013, he ran for 2,406 yards (9.9 avg) with 39 TDs.

He had 520 rushing yards (7.2 avg) with 9 TDs as a 2012 sophomore. He had 4,935 yards (8.9 avg) and 76 TD on the ground in his 3-year career.

He also sprinted for McKinney North’s track team, with bests of 10.37 in the 100 meters (he won his district championships in 2015) and 21.98 in the 200 meters.

PERSONAL: He is a communication major at USC.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT RONALD JONES II

Chantel Jennings, ESPN.com: “Look no further than his 177-yard performance against Arizona in early November 2015 to understand the havoc he can wreak on opposing defenses. In his second year now, with a better understanding of the offense and a new running back coach, expect those numbers to climb.”

Jones can be electric rushing the football and it stems from is elite speed and ability to cut on a dime. He glides effortlessly at times, which hides how fast he really is, because he runs so smooth.

Runs a bit high and that will change for him to be successful at the next level. The holes he finds at USC will be vastly condensed in the NFL. Overall though, Jones is a terrific prospect with some real tools that can’t be taught, cause there God given.

North south runner who finds his crease and bam the kid is gone for six. Jones has that slight delay-cut move which is so fun to watch. The tip of his foot extends one way and slightly touches the surface of the field and the rest of his body shoots off in another direction.

It is goofy but height and weight numbers of others at this position tell a story. The story usually tends to hamper guys like Jones at the next level. I do not know why, but been doing this a long time and somehow that always ends up being the case that 6-foot running backs hovering around 200 pounds fail to really make a impact.

One player who has the same dimensions is Denver Broncos Jamaal Charles, who created a Pro Bowl career with his superb speed and one cut ability. Cross your fingers that Jones ends up like Charles. We will be in for a real treat at the next level.