Christian Jones says farewell on Senior Day, for the second time
Last year’s Senior Day at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was so good and memorable for Texas offensive lineman Christian Jones that he decided to do it again this year.
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Jones, who after being feted by the Longhorns’ faithful in the final home game of the 2022 campaign opted to come back to the 40 Acres for one more season, will be among the 25 players from the transcendent 2023 team that will bid their farewell on Friday as No. 7 Texas squares off against rival Texas Tech.
At stake for the Longhorns is a guaranteed spot in the Big 12 championship game and, if they win in Arlington on Dec. 2 and other cards fall correctly, perhaps a berth in the College Football Playoffs.
For Jones, Friday’s game is a celebration – and so much more.
“I’m forever grateful just being able to go out there with my team and all my brothers and have one last game in front of the fans at DKR wearing the burnt orange, man,” Jones said. “[I’ve spent] a lot of hours, a lot of days, a lot of months and years trying to get better and give everything I have for this university and the team, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Jones admitted that it took some time, but not long, to be able to trust the plan coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff had for the team.
“Like any relationship, over time, every single day you get to know the person and how they operate, how they work, what they like what they don’t like,” Jones explained. “Obviously there’s a little bit of pushback here and there, but it didn’t take long. And it was kind of good to figure out who was with us and who wasn’t, so yeah, that transitional period was a needed and I’m definitely thankful for that.”
Just like the team as a whole, Jones had has his ups and downs over his six seasons at Texas and those early difficulties were the fuel that pushed him to become arguably the Longhorns’ most consistent lineman this season.
“The mistakes that you made today are like building blocks for the lessons tomorrow.” Jones said. “Actually, my big brother and best friend Kareem told me that the other day, and it just hit me, man – ‘the mistakes made today is for the betterment of tomorrow.’
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“And it’s tough, man. I mean just thinking about it like a couple of days ago. Freshman year, not really knowing exactly what to do at all. And leaving home, all that type of stuff. The belief part, just understanding that everyone’s timeline is different, and everyone’s path is different. And you can’t get caught up looking left or right and comparing. You got to be happy for every single day and you got to just keep your head down and work and trust.”
Jones said “things clicked” for him after the Longhorns’ 5-7 season in 2021 with the help of some real soul searching and the support of offensive line coach Kyle Flood.
“Coach Flood – I’m forever grateful for him,” Jones said. “Thank you so much. Even to this day coaching me hard man, telling me things that I needed to hear and just believing in me. Coach Flood definitely changed my life. I’m not saying that like a cliché. He’s a great individual. Great, great leader. Great teacher.”
Flood’s influence was evident in Jones’ answer to a holiday related question. Asked what he was most thankful for this Thanksgiving, Jones quickly responded: “Kyle Flood.”
Jones and Flood will have one more game together this Friday versus Texas Tech. Kickoff is set for 6:30 and ABC will televise the game.
