He was offered football scholarships from Oklahoma and Ohio State, both of which have won national championships in the last three years. Yet, Donnie Jones said he does not have any second thoughts about playing for LSU for the last four years.
“I don’t regret it one bit,” said the senior punter. “There’s no other place I want to be but here. It has been great.”
Jones said he often attended LSU football games with his dad when he was a young boy and aspired to play in Tiger Stadium one day. But things did not go so well at LSU when Jones joined the team in 1999 under former head coach Gerry DiNardo. That year the Tigers went 3-8.
“There’s been some bad times from when I first got here, but coach [Nick] Saban took over and did an unbelievable job in all aspects,” Jones said. “We’ve played three great bowl games so far. I’ve enjoyed it all. I don’t think there’s any atmosphere like this. Our students are the best.”
After the 2002 season, Jones was ranked No. 5 in school history in career punts, No. 3 in punting yardage and No. 2 in average yards. But ironically, he initially was not even recruited by LSU.
“I received offers from two other schools, Oklahoma and Ohio State,” said the senior punter. “After LSU heard that, they started looking at me more. As soon as [LSU] offered me a scholarship, my mind was made up like that.”
Jones grew up in Baton Rouge and played football for Catholic High School. As a Bear, he played with Miami Dolphins running back and former Florida State standout Travis Minor as well as former University of Texas quarterback Major Applewhite.
“Just being around those guys and watching them play, it gives you a little more desire to go out there and do good,” said Jones, who is averaging 41.7 yards per punt this season.
Catholic High School football coach Dale Weiner said the school has been blessed over the years to have some talented players. Weiner said he believes the program at CHS helped those talented players, including Jones, become even more successful.
“The disciplined atmosphere and dedication to gospel values has helped these guys achieve things,” Weiner said.
Weiner said Jones’ laid back personality has also helped him succeed in a highly competitive atmosphere.
“Being slightly goofy helps him not take himself so seriously” Weiner said.
Weiner said he is not surprised by Jones’ success because he saw his potential early on. However, Weiner did not know how Jones would react to college life.
“The only thing that was going to limit Donnie was his ability to focus and adjust to college life,” Weiner said. “If he could handle all those things, I knew he could do it.”
At 6-foot-3 and 222 pounds, Jones is not easily recognizable as the punter. In high school he played other positions including tight end and wide receiver.
“He was a very versatile athlete,” Weiner said. “Most people don’t know he was an outstanding receiver. He can run very fast and has good hands. But he had a passion for punting.”
Jones said even when he was young he wanted to kick.
“In elementary school I never really got the chance,” Jones said. “I remember I tried out, but I wasn’t good enough at the time.”
Weiner said Jones enjoyed playing other positions, but knew his ticket to college football would be his left foot.
Jones said it would be cool to get into the game at another position.
“I’ve always wanted to go in there and play a couple of plays,” Jones said. “Not as a tight end because I’m not as big as the guys we’ve got here, but go out and catch a pass or something. I don’t see it happening. It would be cool to get in there and score a touchdown or intercept a pass, but I’ve learned after four years that’s not my job. So I do what I have to do to help us be successful.”
As the punter, Jones has been the subject of a few jokes here and there, but he said the other players are supportive of him.
“Everyone here’s a family,” he said. “We win together and lose together. When offense gets put in a bad situation, I have to go in and help us out by getting us good field position. I help the defense out too. Nobody ever really gives me a hard time.”
Winning is something Jones has become more acquainted with over his four years as a Tiger. He said LSU football coach Nick Saban changed the mentality of the players by surrounding them with excellent coaches.
“Before he hired coach [Tommy] Moffitt, there really wasn’t much of a weight program,” Jones said. “I think it started with the way we conditioned. We got bigger. We got stronger. We got faster. [Saban] is so smart and he hired a great staff with coach [Jimbo] Fisher and coach [Will] Muschamp. Everybody works together. It all builds on the people you’re around.”
Jones said the expectations increased when Saban took over the program, even for the kickers.
“Now with coach Saban, it’s no nonsense,” he said. “When I was here with coach DiNardo, he just kind of had fun. The season wasn’t really going well. The kickers back then really didn’t practice at all. Coach Saban came in and we really started doing what we needed to do to win.”
Set to graduate in December with a degree in finance, Jones is not certain what his future holds.
“If I get a chance to play in the NFL, then I’ll do that, but right now I want to really focus on finishing up the season, finishing up school.”
Even with the preseason expectations and a chance to win the Ray Guy Award, an honor given annually to the nation’s top collegiate punter, Jones said he wants to have fun and enjoy his last year at LSU.
“I’d really like to make the best of it because after this year there’s no more playing in Tiger Stadium,” Jones said. “I just really want to make this year special and have fun.”