In September 2015, Jack Jones stood on the Sun Devil Stadium sideline.
He wore a black T-shirt overlaid with a gold chain and braved 100-degree heat. Then he watched USC clobber Arizona State, 42-14 -- a Week 4 contest remembered for the Trojans’ 35-0 halftime lead that cleared out half of the stadium before the ASU marching band hit a note.
A few years ago, Devils Digest’s Ralph Amsden wrote that then-ASU coach Todd Graham and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ball “convinced” Jones, the No. 12-ranked player in the country, to take an unofficial visit with current Sun Devil quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole and other highly-touted recruits.
That, though, was a Hail Mary. Back then, it took a miracle for Southern California prospects with Jones’ skillset, acumen and athleticism to go anywhere but USC. Before he stepped foot in Sun Devil Stadium, most already pegged him a Trojan.
After all, ASU didn’t have its Snoop Dogg to aid in a recruiting pitch.
Years later, the Sun Devils still don’t have their Snoop Dogg-esque influencer. But they have head coach Herm Edwards. And linebackers coach Antonio Pierce. And senior cornerback Kobe Williams. And in Jack Jones’ second act as a college football player, that was more important.
As Williams’ aptly put it: “He’s coming back to family.”
That was the pitch to ASU President Michael Crow and Athletic Director Ray Anderson, both of whom had to sign off on Jones’ heading to Tempe. Why did the University's President and Athletic Director have to greenlight the five-star cornerback prospect to join the football team?
In short, Jones had baggage.
The same kid who, at one point, was best known for declaring he’d win the Heisman Trophy as a freshman faced a drastic narrative shirt after breaking into a Panda Express -- an an incident that came just after he was ruled academically ineligible for the 2018 season and got him sentenced to 90 days in jail.
“At the end of the day, I’ve known Jack since he was 13,” Pierce, ASU’s linebackers coach and Jones’ coach at Long Beach Poly, said. “I knew him when he was Jackie Jones, not Jacc Jacc. I know him inside and out, know everything about him. We have the coaching staff and support staff for a guy like Jack to make him succeed.”
On Thursday, no one wanted to dwell on his hiccups of the past. Jones’ first day in Tempe was about hope, about second chances.
6:51 p.m.
Holding black and maroon gloves in his left hand and a plain white helmet in his right, Jones strolls into his first practice as an Arizona State football player. His white, No. 21 jersey over a maroon undershirt, he walks into the Kajikawa Practice Fields side-by-side with redshirt junior cornerback Chase Lucas.
7:08 p.m.
As they do before every practice, the Sun Devils’ secondary runs through a few drills before standing on the south end of practice field No. 2. For nearly the entire walkthrough, Jones’ stands behind Williams, shadowing the teammate he once overshadowed for years at Long Beach Poly.
Just before the Jackrabbits’ cornerback duo went their separate ways in the summer of 2016, Williams signed Jones’ yearbook, scripting a prophecy.
“I told him, ‘We’re going to play with each other or play versus each other in college,’” Williams said of his yearbook inscription. “Everybody back home in the city is laughing about that. Everywhere -- Long Beach, Carson, Compton -- everybody is like, ‘You guys are teaming back up, with Chase, it’s going to be crazy.”
Jones’ wasn’t completely lost on his first day. As he and the school worked out the details of his desert arrival, the ASU coaches allowed the former five-star access to their playbook. By the time he officially arrived at practice Thursday, Jones had basics to defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales’ unique 3-3-5 scheme.
7:17 p.m.
At the hip of Williams, Jones and the Sun Devils’ starting cornerback walk and talk, heading towards the south end zone of field No. 2 for team stretches. Right around the time music starts blaring over the sound system, Williams lays his helmet and gloves down on the goal line. Jones follows, placing his helmet directly behind his friend’s.
He was following Williams’ lead.
“That’s the time I really didn’t believe it, seeing him here,” Williams said. “It’s crazy. It’s like he’s joining my team now. I’ve been here, I’m the leader of the team and now I brought my boy with me.”
7:20 p.m.
The song changed. “Ride Wit Me,” by Nelly starts blaring. The Sun Devil players become giddy, searching for their head coach. Since Edwards arrived in Tempe last December, “Ride Wit Me” is played almost weekly. ASU’s players are aware this is Edwards’ favorite song. Jones is about to find that out.
The Sun Devils’ 65-year old head coach begins busting out his best dance moves while jovially singing along to the 2000 hit song. He first gets into the face of freshman defensive back Willie Harts, the pair belting away like they were recording a karaoke duet. As part of the stretching line, Jones skipped in the direction of Edwards, who hadn’t stopped grooving.
The newest Sun Devil couldn’t hold back laughter as his head coach tells him to sing along.
Around 7:30 p.m.
Jones heads into the bubble. He’s currently dealing with an ankle injury and because of an acclimation period implemented by the NCAA, can’t throw on the full pads for his first three practices.
Edwards and Pierce will live with that. Facing steep academic hurdles, there was a point when it didn’t seem like Jones would ever play college football again, let alone for the Sun Devils.
“He basically had to get an AA (associate degree at Moorpark College) in one year,” Pierce said. “There was no need to talk until he handled his business academically. Then once he got right there, it was like, ‘Alright, this can really happen.’”
Around 7:50 p.m.
With Thursday’s practice nearing its midpoint, Edwards slowly walks from the practice field towards the dome. Along the way, he passes ASU’s sports information director, Mark Brand.
“I’m tired, I’m going into the bubble,” Edwards says jokingly, adding, “I’ve got to see someone.”
(For reference, I can’t remember ever seeing Edwards go into the bubble during one of ASU’s outdoor practices.)
8:08 p.m.
Jones emerges from the bubble. His return nearly times up perfectly with a session break. The Sun Devils are dispersing to their next spot and Edwards is roaming around practice field No. 1 yelling for his players to grab water.
Edwards notices Jones running toward him and tells him to grab some water, pointing to the cooler on the sideline. As Jones passes him, Edwards gives the cornerback a soft pat with his play sheet.
“We felt, knowing his background and taking a hard look at this, that this was a place that he would be given an opportunity,” Edwards said. “In this case, we felt he deserved a second chance. We have a staff and policy around that we feel like we’re in the developing business, especially with young people.”
8:30 p.m.
On the far side of field No. 2, Jones has his helmet off. He’s standing next to his former high school head coach, who could be spotted from a a mile away wearing a gold long-sleeved shirt and a backward gold hat.
The defense is doing another walkthrough on the north side of the field. Pierce and Jones talk and laugh on the side. This is why Jones came to ASU and why ASU accepted him -- because of those who will be surrounding him.
On top of having Pierce, the former Long Beach Poly head coach, Jones joined a Sun Devil roster that boasts six other former Jackrabbits -- Williams, Aashari Crosswell, Jermayne Lole, Keon Markham, Kejuan Markham and Elijah Juarez.
“I can’t even count how many Jackrabbits we have,” Edwards quipped.
He’s also familiar with Arizona State’s redshirt-senior offensive lineman Roy Hemsley. The pair were teammates in 2016 and 2017 at USC before reuniting in Tempe
“I was doing treatment this morning,” Hemsley said, “and (Jack) dapped me up and he’s like, ‘What’s up Big Roy?’ and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s good to see you.’
“This is a second chance for both of us. Things might not have played out the way either of us wanted but what’s most important is we have a second chance to prove to NFL scouts, to prove to the Pac-12 what we’re capable of.”
8:41 p.m.
As the Sun Devils compete in their final 11-on-11 period of the night, Jones treks south down the sideline, navigating through his new teammates before talking with linebackers Case Hatch and Ely Doyle.
Soon enough, Hatch and Doyle sprint onto the field with the rest of the second-team defense. The starters exit; Williams and Lucas find Jones standing alone. The trio is now facing the field. Lucas and Jones are both on one knee, Williams is standing to their right.
After his first practice with Jones, Williams’ grin rarely faded. After everything that happened, he couldn’t believe he was again sharing the field with one of his best friends. He also couldn’t stop thinking about the potential havoc he, Jones and Lucas can cause Pac-12 teams this season.
“When (Jack) gets into it -- me, him and Chase, it’s going to be unstoppable,” Williams said. “Best secondary this year. We should be (in the) Rose Bowl, that’s our goal.”
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