Boston College’s preseason countdown keeps moving, and with the Eagles now back on the field for a scrimmage inside Alumni Stadium, the focus shifts to a newcomer who arrives with plenty of pedigree and a clear chance to matter right away.
No. 9 on the list is R-So. EDGE Kris Jones, the December transfer from Georgia who brings experience from a program that has won two national championships since 2020. Jones was a consensus four-star recruit and the No. 2 overall prospect in Virginia in the class of 2024, and his track record in high school points to a player who has been around winning football for a while.
At Fairfax, Jones helped the Lions finish 9-4 and reach the VHSL Class 6A regional championship game as a senior. Before that, he starred at Mountain View High School in Stafford, Va., where he led the Wildcats to back-to-back 11-2 seasons and two Class 5A regional championship game appearances.
Now he’s making a major jump from the SEC to the ACC, and the expectations in Chestnut Hill are different than what he dealt with at Georgia. At Boston College, Jones stands out in a way he didn’t have to at UGA, where the roster was packed with equally high-end talent. That’s part of why the Eagles are counting on him to make a real impact, especially after a season that didn’t go well for BC’s edge rushers and defensive line.
Jones measured in at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, and over two seasons with the Bulldogs he appeared in all 14 games, including the Sugar Bowl, and finished with seven tackles. He’s already seen plenty of work in first-year defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s system this fall, and that should continue throughout the year.
Roof knows Jones well, too. He recruited him out of high school when he was at Oklahoma as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, so there’s already a built-in familiarity between the two.
“Man, I just believe [in] what BC’s trying to do,” Jones said during spring ball. “I love the coaching staff, [and] when I walked in the building it just felt like home.”
He also explained why he picked No. 4, a number he had never worn before.
“So this is my first year wearing a single digit, but growing up all my life, I wore 44. Coming here, you know, I just wanted to do something different, but I still wanted to keep 4.”
Jones is the 12th player featured in Boston College Eagles On SI’s summer preview series of the Eagles’ top 20 players and honorable mentions heading into Bill O’Brien’s third season. The countdown continues ahead of BC’s season opener on Sept. 5.
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