Breakout training camp performance by Jathen Jones is no accident
- Tom Weber
- Aug 12
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 15
CARBONDALE, Ill. — One of the early stars of SIU’s training camp has been senior wide receiver Jathen Jones. That fact may come as a surprise, since he enters the season with 10 career catches in 16 games, but the St. Louis native said he’s determined to finish strong.
Jones is the rare, sixth-year senior, who had his first season at SIU wiped out by COVID, took a redshirt in 2021, and has shown glimpses of big-play potential the last three seasons with four touchdown catches.
At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he has the size and speed you can’t teach, and he credits his off-season improvement to an intensive summer workout plan that has sharpened his focus and improved his pass-catching ability.
StrongDawgs: Congrats on a great camp so far. How are you feeling about your performance?
JJ: I’m approaching the season with a winning mindset this year. My mentality going into the season is pretty much to show I have the dog in me. I'm trying to help turn things around and just be that guy for DJ (Williams).
SD: Did you do anything differently this off-season?
JJ: I was just working with my room, honestly. We have some really motivated guys in there, some really hard-working guys. Every day before practice, we get like 20 minutes on the JUGS machine (catching passes). During summer workouts, JUGS machine every day, getting 100 catches, 120 catches, more than that. VD (Vinson Davis III) makes you come to the field, get footwork drills in, just little things like that. Just building that bond outside of football, it helps, too.
SD: You had a good spring season as well, so would you agree that you’ve been building up to this?
JJ: In the spring, we had a couple guys have to step up and take a lot of reps, and I think that really helped me in the long run. I needed all of those reps. I didn't play that much last year. So taking all the reps really helped me get comfortable. I was just working on staying consistent, making plays every day. The impact of Fabian (McCray) joining the room, it has helped me even more. He always has a physical mindset that helps our room a lot. He's a vocal leader as well.
SD: As a veteran guy, talk about your own ability to lead.
JJ: I just try to bring the knowledge I've learned to the younger guys, because I've been here for a while and just trying to help them lock-in, because sometimes locking-in can be a little hard. I just want everybody to know that to play well in games, you have to practice well. I'm not that vocal, but I just come out here and have fun and enjoy the guys, and also lead by example.
SD: Do you ever stop and reflect on the journey it took to get to Year Six?
JJ: The process is the fun part. When you make it to the end, you realize that the best time of your life was the process it took to get to that part of your life. I'm always hard on myself. So when things get bad, I'm going to be hard on myself. I always try to fix it. My mom always told me, never be a quitter, so that's always been my mindset. I feel like you lose if you quit.
SD: Who are the most influential people in your life?
JJ: Definitely my mom, my grandma, my uncles. Growing up in Chicago a little bit, my uncles, they were all big into sports. But my mom has always been there for me, showing me how to live life, be tough. Just watching her be a single mother, you know, she's so resilient, she works hard, and I think that rubbed off on me that she never quit. She always had to make her away, and that's my mindset. I have to make my way.
SD: What are your plans for when your football playing days are over?
JJ: I want to go into the sports marketing field. I just got my degree. I already kind of have my foot in the door now with a guy who works in the sports marketing field, and I’m trying to do an internship soon.
SD: What have you learned from Coach (Zach) Grant?
JJ: He’s preached to me about a lot of things, and I've been a listener all my life. I love to be a sponge, and I just take in whatever he says and try to apply it on the field and off the field. I don't want to let the guys in the room down. I want to prove this year that that I can be the guy in the room.
SD: Tell me about your relationship with Coach Hill.
JJ: Coach Hill and I are real close. I've been here for a minute. I know his mindset. I kind of know how he wants things to be done. Right now, I'm just trying to pass his philosophy down to the guys in my room and show them the way.
Practice 11 Insiders Notebook
