WATCH: Demello Jones shines in state championship
Georgia commit Demello Jones had himself a day in the state championship on Monday. While his Swainsboro Tigers fell for the second straight season to Prince Avenue Christian in the Class 1A-Division 1 title game, Jones found the end zone four times in the 49-32 loss.
Jones’ first touchdown came in the first quarter. Playing on the offensive side of the ball, he took a screen pass 59 yards to the house as he outran several Prince defenders on his way to the end zone.
Down 21-6 at the end of the first, Jones took over in the backfield to get the best athlete on the field the ball more easily. All the while, he was still playing defense, and that’s where the second score game from. This time, it was an interception returned 98 yards to get some energy back on the Swainsboro sideline.
A blocked punt set Swainsboro up with a first and goal. Then, the Swainsboro score came from you know who as Jones rushed one in this time.
Jones’ fourth touchdown of the day was also Swainsboro’s fourth score. Once again, in a goal-to-go situation, the Georgia commit punched it in to help his Tigers team out. He added the two-point conversion this time as well to make it an even closer game, and while they fought hard, the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome for Swainsboro.
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All in all, Jones has a record setting day. He became the first player in state championship history to score touchdowns in three ways (run, reception, interception), his 96-yard pick six included that stands as the second longest score in GHSA finals history. Jones was just the seventh to score on both offense and defense in a single game joining a group that includes Georgia legend Garrison Hearst.
“He’s going to be a great player at the next level,” Swainsboro head coach Scott Roberts told WRDW-TV, the CBS affiliate in Augusta, about Jones. “He gave us everything he had on both sides of the ball. He made some huge plays for us. He gave us an opportunity to be in the game. Just, like I said, we didn’t do enough.”
Jones, who committed to Georgia in March and is expected to sign with the Bulldogs next week, is the No. 64 overall ranked player in the country and No. 8 cornerback according to the On3 Industry Rankings. On3’s in-house On300 actually has Jones higher than anybody else included in the Industry Rankings, putting jones at No. 58 overall and No. 7 among players for his position. He is part of a Georgia Class of 2024 currently ranked No. 1 in the country with 28 commits on board including the top-ranked player at Jones’ position (Ellis Robinson IV) and a fellow five-star plus+ defender, linebacker Justin Williams.
Demello Jones Scouting Report
Do-it-all athlete who projects as one of the top defensive back prospects in the 2024 cycle. Measured in at around 6-foot-0.5, 175 pounds with a 31-inch arm. A strong athlete in track and field, improving his sprint times, posting a 10.97 second 100 meter dash as a junior along with an impressive 6-4 foot high jump. Sees snaps all over the field on Friday nights, lining up at quarterback, running back,wide receiver and corner. Helped his team to a state title as a junior. Rushed for 1,279 yards and 20 touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards per carry. Also had 7 receiving touchdowns on just 14 catches. A smooth, natural athlete. An easy mover who is capable of pulling away once in the open field. Shows encouraging cover skills and functional athleticism when projecting as a defensive back. Plays with good instincts and toughness. Closes quickly and drives through ball carriers as a tackler. Ball skills developed from his time on offense aid as a defensive back. Could feasibly line up at any spot in the secondary. Also a good high school basketball player, averaging 11.8 points per game as a junior. Breadth of skills points to a strong foundation as a prospect and developmental upside. – Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting
