Play football, have fun
Huskies junior Jones, who may one day play in the NFL, tries to keep goals simple
At Uconn football’s media day in July, the talk of Travis Jones’ transformation was inescapable.
“If we walk in the room, you’ll see Travis first,” defensive coordinator Lou Spanos said. “If he’s 10 yards behind me, you’ll see Travis first.”
“You talk about a guy that’s transformed his body,” head coach Randy Edsall said. “He has worked his tail off. He really looks good. I think he has an opportunity to have a really, really good year . ... You just hope he stays healthy.”
“He’s toned up. He’s in the weight room every day,” junior defensive lineman Kevon Jones said. “He’s getting bigger, faster and stronger.”
Travis Jones, a junior on the defensive line, dropped slightly from 336 pounds to 333, but shaped some of that raw high school size he had at Wilbur CrossNew Haven into tighter college strength. He totaled 40 tackles and
3.5 sacks in 2019, 55 tackles and 5.5 sacks in 2018, and figures to be the centerpiece of Uconn’s front seven — largely hailed as the strength of the team’s defense.
For all the success he’s had on the field and praise he’s received off of it, Jones remains a quiet star. He answers questions succinctly and does his best to deflect individual praise and accolades.
Awards, professional football, it all could be in the cards for the subdued run-stopper from New Haven. While he made his best efforts to push those thoughts into his subconscious, even he had to admit that, physically, he feels different.
“I feel stronger,” Jones said. “I’ve been putting up great numbers in the weight room, and I also feel faster out here running. I feel like I can play the whole game without getting tired now.”
He was one of 80 players across the country named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list, given to the nation’s best defender.
“It’s an honor to be on that watch list,” Jones said. “But that’s not my main focus right now. I’m focusing on practice tomorrow and going out there and dominating. It felt good being on that list, but it’s not the most important thing in the world.”
Jones has a tendency to live in the backfield, as he’s collectively led the team in tackles for loss since his freshman year. His best ability is on run defense, where he uses his imposing frame to swallow up backs and, at times, take on multiple blockers to free up his teammates in the front seven.
In his first game as a Husky, he made seven tackles against the University of Central Florida. Later that season he had 10 tackles, two for a loss, against Eastern Carolina.
“He’s a really explosive player,” Spanos said. “He does a really good job on first
and second down stopping the run, and then on third down and passing situations he’s quick off the ball, and you can see him put pressure on the quarterback.”
A three-star prospect in high school, Jones had offers from Boston College, Rutgers, Temple and Buffalo, but chose to stay closer to home. Playing in the NFL — something that may be a real possibility for Jones — wasn’t necessarily on his mind when he committed to Uconn.
Even now, under a month from the start of his third season with the Huskies, it still isn’t. The goal remains the same as it was when he arrived in Storrs as a freshman.
“I just came in saying I wanted to play ball,” Jones said. “If that stuff happens, it happens. I’m not really worried about it right now. [My goal] is still to play football and have fun.”