USC TAILBACK RONALD JONES II DECLARES FOR NFL

LOS ANGELES--USC junior tailback Ronald Jones II announced today (Jan. 5) his intention to declare for the NFL Draft.

Said Jones: "After much thought and prayer, I have decided to forego my final year of eligibility to pursue my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL.

"My success to date would not have been possible without God and the support of so many people. First, I'd like to thank my mother Jackie, my grandmother Annie, my uncle Paul, my siblings Montinique, Shauna, Jamyrah and Jalen, and so many other family members for their unbelievable love and support over the years. To my father, I know your spirit is with me as I embark on this journey. To my mentors, Derrick and Terrance, I love you guys, thank you for the endless support.

"My sincerest thanks to all of my coaches and teammates at the University of Southern California. I am truly going to miss you guys. Go win that national championship for me next season. To Coach Clay Helton, thank you for challenging me to be a great player and to work on becoming an even better man. Coach Deland McCullough, thank you for getting to know me, earning my trust, and creating a plan for me - and the other RBs - to become masters at our craft.

"To my Trojan family, I never could have become who I am off the field without you all embracing and accepting me as a person. To my biggest little fan-Victor-thanks for showing up to games all around the country wearing your dreadhead! A special thanks to Ivan, KB and the strength staff, Russ and the training staff, our team docs, and the academics department, Heather and Martin, for keeping me strong, healthy and on top of my academics.

"Because of the prayers, love and support of so many people, I feel I am genuinely ready for the challenges and successes of the NFL. Fight On!"

Jones finished fifth on USC's career rushing list with 3,619 yards on 591 carries (a 6.1 average) with 39 TDs and also caught 32 passes for 301 yards (9.4 average) with 3 TDs. He had 14 100-yard rushing games in his career and scored at least 1 touchdown in 19 of his last 20 games.

In 2017, he became the seventh Trojan to have a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons when he ran for 1,550 yards on 261 carries (5.9 average) with 19 TDs. He was named to the 2017 Pro Football Focus All-American first team and the All-Pac-12 first team. He is a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award.

USC TAILBACK RONALD JONES II DECLARES FOR NFL

Players Mentioned

Ronald Jones II

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