Most Impactful Rebels for 2019: No. 5 Benito Jones

OXFORD, Miss. — As we count down the days until the Ole Miss season opener against Memphis in the Liberty Bowl, we are releasing who we think the Top 50 Most Impactful Players will be for the Rebels this season. This series is a way for Ole Miss fans to learn more about players to keep an eye on this fall.

With 5 days before kickoff, coming in at No. 5…

Benito Jones

Benito Jones was a five-star defensive lineman, according to ESPN, when he signed with Ole Miss in the Class of 2016.

The Waynesboro, Mississippi native was ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect in the country by ESPN after racking up 83 tackles and 14 sacks as a senior at Wayne County High School and helped his team to the 5A State Championship.

At the Under Armor All-America Game, Jones notched five tackles with four tackles for loss and a sack while competing against other elite high school prospects. 

As a true freshman at Ole Miss, the 6-foot-1, 326-pound Jones was named to the Freshman All-SEC team by Athlon and Gridiron Now after playing in all twelve games — including four starts at defensive tackle. He tallied 34 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss on the season. 

As a sophomore in 2017, Jones earned ten starts at nose tackle while appearing in all twelve games. He made 29 tackles and recorded seven tackles for loss. 

In 2018, Jones started in every game at nose tackle en route to recording 34 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and three sacks. 

Heading into the 2019 season, Lindy’s, Phil Steele and Athlon selected Jones to their Preseason All-SEC team. 

After undergoing shoulder surgery in December, Jones was held out of spring practices. However, he has remained the starter at nose tackle throughout fall camp, taking the majority of the first team reps. Earlier during camp Jones addressed having to get back into the groove of things after missing all of spring practices. 

“It was kind of slow at first,” said Jones, “but now I’m back in the groove. I’m just getting back used to the heat and just getting ready for August 31. For the first couple of days I thought I was behind. You have to actually practice football to get in football shape. I did kind of think I was behind. I think I’ve kind of caught up to where I need to be,” he explained.

Jones believes the 2019 version of the Ole Miss defense will be much better at stopping the run than in the previous two seasons. 

“The first thing you have to do as a defensive lineman is you’ve got to read run first and then you react to the pass,” he said. 

DL Benito Jones

Jones has been relied on heavily at nose tackle since his arrival in Oxford, and this season will be no different. He has played through injury during most of his Ole Miss career; however, he is finally able to play without pain, and that should lead the talented senior to another strong performance at nose tackle. Look for Jones’ name to be called in the NFL Draft in April, 2020. 

Keep your eye out for No. 95 on the field for the Rebels!

Hotty Toddy!

Most Impactful Rebels for 2019

5.  Benito Jones
6.  Jaylon Jones
7.  Alex Givens
8.  Josiah Coatney
9.  Ben Brown
10. Lakia Henry
11. Sam Williams
12. Qaadir Sheppard
13. Jacquez Jones
14. Miles Battle
15. Jerrion Ealy
16. Braylon Sanders
17. Eli Johnson
18. Myles Hartsfield
19. Dontario Drummond
20. Jon Haynes
21. Montrell Custis
22. Demarcus Gregory
23. Bryce Mathews
24. Royce Newman
25. Tylan Knight
26. Tariqious Tisdale
27. Octavious Cooley
28. Jalen Julius
29. Luke Logan
30. Nick Broeker
31. Austrian Robinson
32. Quentin Bivens
33. Willie Hibbler
34. Isaiah Woullard
35. Jadon Jackson
36. Grant Tisdale, Kinkead Dent, John Rhys Plumlee
37. Keidron Smith
38. Snoop Conner
39. Michael Howard
40. Vernon Dasher
41. Ryder Anderson
42. D’Vaughn Pennamon
43. C.J. Miller
44. Charles Wiley
45. Sincere David
46. Mac Brown
47. Jason Pellerin
48. Chandler Tuitt
49. Dannis Jackson
50. Jonathan Mingo