Diamond In The Rough: Aiden Jones

Aiden Jones, class of 2023, is a dual position athlete as he plays both Middle Linebacker and Tight End for the Covington Catholic Colonels out of Park Hills, Kentucky. As a 6’3 225lb Linebacker, Aiden is an aggressive tackler who makes sure that the runner is down. He brings his toughness to every play as he never runs away from a blocker, rather, he runs through them and disengages when need be. Aiden is a pure run stuffer too, he has good patience to allow for a hole in the line to open in up and has the burst to attack and fill the gap. When lined up at Tight End, Aiden is a serviceable blocker, and has solid footwork in his routes to get separation, surprising speed to add on to the initial separation, and finishes it off with good, solid hands to secure the catch. Aiden Jones is very versatile athlete with a good mixture of toughness, speed, and hands. With this mixture, Aiden could be a menace all over the field on Saturdays and has another year to make progress and get even better.

Check out Aiden’s highlights here.

Tell me about yourself, what are some things you are into? Do you have any hobbies? I play power forward/small forward for my high school’s basketball team, I play video games like 2K and Madden, I like being outside, I go boating, and I camp sometimes too.  Other than that, me and my friends just go to the park and hang out.   

When did you start playing football? What made you get into it? I started playing in 1st grade, I have been playing ever since and I have loved it. My dad played at UK and played at the CFL. My whole family played so I was born into it. My brother pays right now too, he goes to Cornell. My dad, my brother, and even my little brother play o-line, I make sure to make fun of them because I am the only fast one.

What has been the highlight of your football career so far? So far, it would probably be my freshman year winning the state championship. That was definitely the highlight so far. It was kind of like the best feeling in the world, definitely made me feel good.

What motivates you to get out and practice every day? What is your why? I would say trying to get to the next level and putting in the work in to get there knowing that it is going to take a lot of work to get where I want to go.

Is there anybody you look up to? I look up to Michel Mayer, the Tight End for Notre Dame, he went here so that is a big reason why. I looked up to everything he did, in the weight room and on the field. We were the same position in high school, Tight End and Middle Line Backer, so he taught me some minor stuff about what to watch for on offense and defense. That meant a lot to me.  

What NFL player do you try to model your game around? I would say…Luke Kuechly, I just like the way he moves around the field and the way he plays. For the Tight End position, I would probably say Gronk. He is my favorite offensive player; I also like his routes and aggressiveness.

What has football taught you about life and yourself in general? Football has taught a lot, like you have to work for everything, working with teammates will help build relationships in the real world, and it taught me you have to make sacrifices for other people sometimes. It has just taught me who I am, a hard worker. It also helps to be able to get along with other people.