Jarvis Jones

Jarvis Jerrell Jones (born October 13, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was recognized as a consensus All-American twice. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft, playing for them for four seasons before retiring following a short stint with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.

Jones was born in Columbus, Georgia, and grew up in Lumpkin and Richland, Georgia. He attended Carver High School in Columbus, where he led his high school football team to a state title in 2007, and was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. In addition to playing football, he was an all-state basketball player. He was ranked the 59th best high school prospect by ESPN. He played in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

Jones attended University of Southern California (USC) for his freshman year in 2009, during which he saw action as a special teams and backup player for the USC Trojans Football team. In the first eight games, he recorded 13 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. During the game against Oregon, Jones suffered a neck injury. He was later diagnosed with spinal stenosis and the USC medical staff would not clear him to play for the team again.

After the USC medical staff would not allow Jones to practice in the spring of 2010, Jones asked for and was granted a release to transfer. His high school coach contacted Georgia, Auburn, and Florida State to discuss the possibility with the teams' coaches. After meeting with Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, Jones underwent medical testing by the Georgia staff and was cleared to play football for the University of Georgia. He would have to redshirt during the 2010 season in compliance with NCAA transfer rules.

Jones started every game in the 2011 season, recording a career-high 4 sacks against Florida on October 29. He posted 70 total tackles including 19.5 for a loss, 13.5 sacks (which led the SEC), 2 forced fumbles and 26 quarterback hurries. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having been named to the first-teams of ESPN, the American Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

On January 13, 2012, head coach Mark Richt announced that Jones would return for his senior year. In 12 games, Jones recorded 85 tackles (52 solo), 24.5 tackles-for-loss (best in NCAA), 14.5 sacks, one interception, seven forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered. He missed the games against Kentucky and Florida Atlantic, but played an integral role in wins over Missouri and Florida. Jones was named an AFCA First-team All-American and the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press and voted The 2012 Premier Player of College Football by sports fans. On January 4, 2013, Jones declared for the NFL draft.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Jones in the first round (17th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft. Sports Illustrated analyst Andy Benoit praised the pick in The Fifth Down blog. He signed a four-year deal worth $8.705 million with a $4.7 million signing bonus.

He began competing for a position at right outside linebacker with starter Jason Worilds and Terence Garvin. At the beginning of the season he was used as a back-up and rotated with Worilds. On September 8, 2013, he played in his first career game and recorded 2 solo tackles against the Tennessee Titans. The following week on September 16, he received his first start in place of Worilds and racked up a total of 8 tackles. The next four games he started in place of Worilds until Week 7. On October 29, 2013, head coach Mike Tomlin announced that Jones would be benched following the team's Week 8 loss against the Oakland Raiders.