2017 Football Roster
Ronald Jones II
- Position:
- Tailback
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- McKinney, TX
- High School:
- McKinney North
@RonaldJones25
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In The News
What They're Saying
CAREER: He has run for 3,619 yards on 591 carries (6.1 avg) with 39 TDs and caught 32 passes for 301 yards (9.4 avg) with 3 TDs in his career. He is fifth on USC’s career rushing list with 3,619 yards, with 2 Heisman Trophy winners and 2 Heisman runners-up ahead of him. His 6.12 career yards per carry is fourth best among those on USC’s Top 40 all-time rushing ladder. He has 14 100-yard rushing games in his career. He has had at least 1 TD in 19 of the last 20 games he has played (including 13 consecutive games from 2016 to 2017 until he was shut out at Notre Dame in 2017, the most in a row since Anthony Davis’ 17 in 1973-74). He is the seventh Trojan to have at least a pair of 1,000- yard rushing seasons (along with O.J. Simpson in 1967-68, Anthony Davis in 1972-73-74, Ricky Bell in 1975-76, Charles White in 1977-78-79, Marcus Allen in 1980-81 and LenDale White in 2004-05). He has appeared in 40 games in his career, with 19 starts.
2017: The explosive Jones, who also has sprinted for USC’s track team, started for his second season at tailback as a junior in 2017 and was among the nation’s top running backs. Overall in 2017 while appearing in and starting 13 games (all but California, which he missed after suffering an ankle sprain and leg bruise against Texas), he had 261 carries for 1,550 yards (5.9 avg) with 19 TDs, plus 14 receptions for 187 yards (13.4 avg) and 1 TD (he also had 2 tackles). He had 9 100-yard rushing games in 2017. His 1,550 rushing yards in 2017 puts him eighth on USC’s season rushing list (and is the 30th time a Trojan has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in a season). He is fifth nationally in rushing touchdowns (19, second in Pac-12), sixth in total touchdowns (20, second in Pac-12), 14th in rushing (119.2, fifth in Pac12), 14th in scoring (9.2, third in Pac-12) and 21st in all-purpose running (133.6, fourth in Pac-12). He made 2017 Pro Football Focus All-American first team, Sports On Earth All-American second team, AP All-American third team, CollegeSportMadness.com All-American third team, Phil Steele All-American fourth team, CollegeFootballNews.com All-American honorable mention, All-Pac-12 first team, AP All-Pac-12 first team, Athlon All-Pac-12 first team, Phil Steele All-Pac-12 first team, CollegeFootballNews.com All-Pac-12 first team and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 first team. He won USC’s Offensive Perimeter Player of the Year Award. He was a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. He ran for a game-high 159 yards with 3 TDs (16, 1, 37 yards) on 18 carries for an 8.8 average and added a 19- yard reception against Western Michigan to earn Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention. He had 116 yards on 23 rushes with 2 TDs (1 and 23 yards) and also had a 10-yard reception against Stanford. He had a game-best 47 yards on 18 carries and scored a TD on a zig-zagging 56-yard TD pass at the first half gun against Texas (he also had a tackle). At Washington State, he ran for a game-best 128 yards on 14 carries (a 9.1 average), including an 86-yard TD burst that was USC’s longest rush since LaVale Woods’ school record 96-yarder in 1996 versus Oregon State. He had a game-high 79 yards on 12 carries with a 4-yard TD along with 2 catches for 17 yards and a tackle against Oregon State. Against Utah, he had 111 yards on 17 carries, with an 11-yard somersaulting TD run late in the game for the decisive points, and he also caught a 10-yard pass. He had 32 yards on 12 carries and a 1-yard catch at Notre Dame. He ran for 216 yards on 18 carries (a 12.0 average) with 2 long touchdowns (67 and 64 yards) and he had a 1-yard catch at Arizona State to earn Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention. He ran for 194 yards on 27 tries (7.2 average) with 3 short TDs (5, 1, 1 yards, with the last 2 coming to seal the victory) and he caught 3 passes for 39 yards against Arizona to earn CollegeSportsMadness.com Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention honors. He rushed for 142 yards on 25 tries with a TD (a 22-yard cutback run) and added a 6-yard catch at Colorado. He ran for a game-best 122 yards on a then-career-high 28 carries, with 2 short TDs, and also caught a 22-yard pass against UCLA to earn Rose Bowl Game Pac-12 Player of the Week and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week honorable mention. He had a game-best 140 yards on a carer-high 30 carries with 2 TDs (1 and 8 yards) and he added a 6-yard reception against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game. He ran for 64 yards on 19 carries with a 1-yard TD against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
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."
| TCB | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| 2015 (Fr.)... | 153 | 987 | 6.5 | 8 | 74 | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 1 | 15 |
| 2016 (So.)... | 177 | 1082 | 6.1 | 12 | 66 | 11 | 76 | 6.9 | 1 | 16 |
| CAREER... | 330 | 2069 | 6.3 | 20 | 74 | 18 | 115 | 6.4 | 2 | 16 |
2016
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| TCB | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| Alabama | 7 | 46 | 6.6 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Utah St. | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stanford | 11 | 63 | 5.7 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah | 8 | 15 | 1.9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona St. | 5 | 20 | 4.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colorado | 10 | 56 | 5.6 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 1 | 9 |
| Arizona* | 16 | 77 | 5.8 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 |
| California* | 18 | 223 | 12.4 | 1 | 61 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Oregon* | 20 | 171 | 8.6 | 4 | 66 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Washington* | 23 | 93 | 4.0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
| UCLA* | 18 | 121 | 6.7 | 2 | 60 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Notre Dame* | 16 | 134 | 8.4 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn St. (RB) | 20 | 55 | 2.8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 6 |
| 2016 (So.)... | 177 | 1082 | 6.1 | 12 | 66 | 11 | 76 | 6.9 | 1 | 16 |
| *Starter |
2015
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| TCB | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG | |
| Ark. St. | 6 | 86 | 14.3 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 8 | 83 | 10.4 | 1 | 44 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 15 |
| Stanford | 6 | 19 | 3.2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Arizona St. | 10 | 54 | 5.4 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington | 8 | 65 | 8.1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame | 6 | 73 | 12.2 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah | 15 | 73 | 4.9 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| California | 11 | 80 | 7.3 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 19 | 177 | 9.3 | 1 | 74 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 1 | 5 |
| Colorado | 19 | 61 | 3.2 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | -1 |
| UCLA | 17 | 63 | 3.7 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Stanford (P12) | 6 | 50 | 8.3 | 1 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisc. (HB) | 8 | 47 | 5.9 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 0 | 12 |
| 2015 (Fr.)... | 153 | 987 | 6.5 | 8 | 74 | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 1 | 15 |
