Kickoff Countdown: Who wore it best? #70

UGASports is counting down the days until the Bulldogs’ 2024 season opener. For each day in our countdown, we will reveal our opinion of the best player in Georgia history to wear that particular jersey number.

UGASports selects Nick Jones as the best Georgia player to wear jersey number 70.

Position: Center and Guard

Hometown (High School): Bowdon, GA (Bowdon)

Height/Weight: 6-3, 295

Lettered: 2003-2006

Stats: 42 starts

Career: In another tough decision by UGASports, Nick Jones was chosen over other deserving candidates including two with strong family legacies at Georgia. Jones was a defensive star in high school before switching to offense in college. As a true freshman in 2003, he found his way into the lineup, starting the final five games of the season. Jones was the recipient of the team’s Iron Man Award, presented to the player who “shows up every day for work, never late, and strains his potential in every endeavor.” The next three seasons was more of the same for Jones. He helped lead Georgia to a SEC title as a junior and as a senior he was named the team’s captain. Jones ended up winning the team’s most valuable offensive player as well. In all, he started 42 games for the Bulldogs, including 32 consecutive. Jones won All-SEC honors and was also on the Remington Trophy Watch list as the nation’s top center.

Post-UGA Career: Jones signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent and jumped around the NFL for several teams in the next two seasons. He came back to Georgia in 2010 and became a graduate assistant coach. After spending that season and the next in Athens, he became Coastal Carolina’s tight end coach. After six seasons with the Chanticleers, Jones got a job coaching at Air Force. In 2020, he switched and started working in the NFL. Jones was part of the Los Angeles Rams’ staff when they won Super Bowl LVI. In February of this year, he was hired by the Atlanta Falcons to be their assistant offensive line coach.

Honorable Mention: Ray Rissmiller, Warren McClendon, Chris Terry, Kevin Breedlove