Ronald Jones II (born August 3, 1997) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at USC, where he finished his college career with over 3,600 rushing yards over three seasons before being selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Early years
Jones attended McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas, where he ran track and played football. Jones also played tailback for the Bulldogs high school football team. He was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit and in 2015 was ranked as the fourth best running back and 40th best player overall. Jones committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football.
College career
Jones played college football at USC under head coaches Steve Sarkisian and Clay Helton.
As a freshman in 2015, Jones recorded 153 carries for 987 yards and eight touchdowns to go along with seven receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown in 14 games and no starts.
As a sophomore in 2016, Jones recorded 177 carries for 1,082 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 11 receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in 13 games and six starts.
As a junior in 2017, Jones recorded 261 carries for 1,550 yards and 19 touchdowns to go along with 14 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown in 13 games and starts. After his junior year, Jones decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
College statistics
Jones holds the title of all time 5th leading rusher at USC. Jones breaks a 30 year old record of Charles White also rushing more yards than O.J. Simpson, Lendale White and Reggie Bush.
Professional career
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2018 season: Rookie year
Jones was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round with the 38th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He was the fifth running back to be selected that year.
Jones made his NFL debut in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. In the 48–10 road loss, Jones recorded ten carries for 29 yards. Three weeks later against the Cleveland Browns, he had six carries for 13 yards and his first NFL touchdown to go along with a 15-yard reception as the Buccaneers won in overtime by a score of 26–23.
Jones finished his rookie season with 23 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown to go along with seven receptions for 33 yards in nine games and no starts.
2019 season
During the season-opening 31-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Jones had 13 carries for 75 yards to go along with an 18-yard reception. Two weeks later against the New York Giants, he earned his first NFL start and had 14 carries for 80 yards to go along with a 41-yard reception in the narrow 32-31 loss. In the next game against the Los Angeles Rams, Jones had 19 carries for 70 yards and his first touchdown of the season to go along with a 12-yard reception in the 55-40 road victory. During a Week 6 37-26 loss to the Carolina Panthers in London, he rushed for 10 yards and a touchdown.
Midway through the season, Jones became the Buccaneers' starting running back. During a Week 9 40-34 overtime road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, his first game as a starter, Jones had 18 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown to go along with two receptions for 15 yards. In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, he had 11 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown and caught a season-high eight passes for 77 yards in the narrow 30-27 victory. Two weeks later against the Atlanta Falcons, Jones had 12 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown to go along with three receptions for 16 yards in the 35-22 road victory. During a Week 16 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, he had 14 carries for 77 yards and a touchdown to go along with three receptions for 32 yards. In the regular-season finale against the Falcons, Jones had 11 carries for 106 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards in the 28-22 overtime loss.
Jones finished his second professional season with 172 carries for 724 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 31 receptions for 309 yards in 16 games and nine starts.