Ole Miss Roommates Jacquez Jones, Keidron Smith Prepare for Homecoming

Five years ago they moved in to Ole Miss together. Today the old roommates return to Oxford in Kentucky football uniforms. Jacquez Jones and Keidron Smith have combined to play 45 games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, but they still need to ask directions to get to the visitors’ locker room.

“I’ve never been in there. I’m not sure where it is either. I have no idea where it’s at,” said Jones.

Keidron Smith logged off of social media before the return to Oxford. He’s going to let his pads do the talking.

“With my former teammates, we got a good relationship. There’s no bad blood between us,” Smith said, “but we’re definitely looking forward to meeting each other out on the field.”

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Thank Jon Sumrall for Ole Miss Transfers

Jacquez Jones, Kentucky’s current leading tackler who also led the Cats in 2021, was a summer addition to UK’s roster around 18 months ago. Jamin Davis‘ unexpected rise into the NFL Draft and D’Eryk Jackson‘s achilles injury left Jon Sumrall’s linebackers room thin. Looking for bodies, Sumrall found one at his former place of employment.

“As soon as I hit the portal and my name got cleared, he was the first once to contact (me),” Jones told KSR. “Playing with him back at Ole Miss, we had a relationship and I felt like he was a big part of me coming here. If he wasn’t here, I probably wouldn’t be here. I’m just going to keep it real, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

And without Jones, Kentucky may not have ever gotten Smith. Keidron did not feel the need to follow his old wise-cracking roommate, but Jones certainly had a good pitch prepared for the defensive back.

“I told him to get his tail here,” Jones recalls. “I know Keidron, he had some opportunities to go different places, but I felt like Kentucky is a great fit. What he was looking for and what we needed, I felt like this was the place for him.”

So far, so good. Smith has a fumble recovery, a pick six and three passes defended.

“I know they had something special before I signed,” he said after the Florida win. “I wasn’t coming here if they didn’t have something special.”

One Goal in Homecoming

“It’s crazy,” Smith said. “(We) Came in together, we were roommates at Ole Miss and now we’re here together, about to finish out our last season. I would say it’s an honor and a blessing.”

The transfer portal has changed college football. Once a rare occasion, you’ll see plenty of players facing former teams in the future. Some homecoming events can be emotionally overwhelming. Even though Jacquez Jones has always been one of the firsts to crack jokes, there’s no joking this Saturday. There’s no hero ball. There is no time for intensive reflection. He’s coming back to Oxford to win.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” Jones said following last Saturday’s win. “That’s where I started. Took me as an 18-year-old, a teenager. It’s going to be a bittersweet moment, but at the end of the day we know we’re going there for one one thing and that one thing only.”