BOONE, N.C. — App State has a first-team FBS All-American at cornerback for the second straight year, as
Steven Jones Jr. received that honor Friday from the Football Writers Association of America.
Green Bay Packers rookie
Shemar Jean-Charles' numerous All-America honors as an App State senior in 2020 included being a first-team Walter Camp All-American, and three-year starter
Shaun Jolly was a second-team PFF All-American in 2019 before receiving honorable mention from Phil Steele in 2020.
To date, App State and Cincinnati are the only FBS programs with an All-America cornerback in each of the last three seasons, and the Mountaineers are the only program with that distinction involving three different players. Jones, the first Mountaineer honored by the FWAA since the FBS transition, made the first team alongside fellow defensive backs Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati), Kyle Hamilton (Notre Dame) and Jalen Pitre (Baylor) one day after being named a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Jones tied for the FBS lead with five interceptions during the regular season and is currently one behind the national lead. He leads the country with three pick-six interception returns for touchdowns, is in the top 15 nationally with 13 passes defended (counting eight breakups) and enters the bowl season with 48 tackles (39 solo) this season.
One week after scoring on an interception return against ULM, Jones had three interceptions with touchdowns on returns covering 47 and 34 yards at Arkansas State. No FBS player had produced three pick-six TDs in a shorter span (two games) since Houston's Johnny Jackson set an NCAA record by scoring three times on interception returns against Texas in 1987.
Jones has played in 51 games, intercepted seven passes and scored five touchdowns in his App State career, but he had only started two games prior to this year with so much talent in the Mountaineers' secondary.
The Mountaineers lead the country with 347 interception return yards this year, lead the nation with 10 pick-six interception returns for touchdowns in the last three seasons and are tied for the FBS lead with 129 interceptions since they made the FBS jump before the 2014 season.
App State's FBS All-Americans:
2019: CB
Shaun Jolly - 2nd team (PFF College)
2019: OLB
Akeem Davis-Gaither - 4th team (Phil Steele)
2020: CB
Shemar Jean-Charles - 1st team (Walter Camp), 2nd team (PFF College, Sporting News), 3rd team (Phil Steele)
2020: OG
Ryan Neuzil - 2nd team (PFF College, Sporting News), 4th team (Phil Steele)
2020: CB
Shaun Jolly - Honorable Mention (Phil Steele)
2021: CB
Steven Jones Jr. - 1st team (FWAA), 2nd team (Walter Camp)
