By GREGORY ZELLER //
From the It’s Not Where You Start It’s Where You Finish File comes Jordan Jones, the latest Nassau Community College Lion to claw his way to the National Football League.
Jones, who excelled as a defense back for NCC’s football program in 2017 and 2018, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams last week, following the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The beginning of his professional career marks the conclusion of a dramatic rise for Jones, who graduated Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln High School six years ago with tons of talent but no scholarship offers – and decided to sharpen his skills at Nassau Community College, rather than walk on for tryouts (and into tuition debt) at a bigger school.
He sharpened: 11 interceptions in 22 games at NCC, including a pick in the Lions’ 46-6 victory in the 2018 Red Grange Bowl.
Thanks, coach: Ramsay (left) congratulates his former star.
Jones’ strong play in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (including a 2017 JuCo All-American honor) won him a promotion to the NCAA-affiliate Colonial Athletic Association – specifically, into the defensive backfield for the University of Rhode Island, where he continued his elite play (while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice).
The world-class athlete compiled an exceptional collegiate career over four-plus seasons, including his two years at NCC and a redshirt senior year at URI. In 22 URI games, he logged 77 tackles, eight interceptions and dozens of pass deflections, earning a spot on the 2022 Colonial Athletic Association Football All-Conference First Team – and, ultimately, the Rams’ attention.
Jones becomes the third NCC football veteran currently on an NFL roster, following 2015 graduate and current Green Bay Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas and Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas, who attended Nassau Community from 2014 to 2016.
While “community college to playing on Sunday” sounds like the outline for a hundred hackneyed underdog flicks, it’s a familiar real-life story for Nassau Community’s exceptional NJCAA football program. Including the current trio, 41 former Nassau Community student-athletes have now completed the NFL climb, according to the school.
It doesn’t surprise NCC Lions Football Head Coach Jamel Ramsay that Jones is among them. Ramsay, who coached the latest LA Ram to that 2018 Red Grange Bowl title, labeled the defensive star “an absolute joy” as a player and a person.
“Jordan’s passion for the game is unmatched, and his dedication to the team has been evident both on and off the field,” Ramsay said Tuesday. “Seeing his growth over the past years has been truly exciting.
“I am incredibly proud of everything Jordan has achieved so far,” the coach added. “And I have no doubt he will continue to make Nassau Football proud.”
