When Elin Jones stepped in front of the Brick x Brick cameras two seasons ago, he was just another hungry HBCU football player in the Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) football locker room—underrated, overlooked, and fighting for something more. Now, he’s headed to the FBS.
One of the centerpiece athletes of HBCU Gameday’s hit docuseries, Jones wasn’t just a football player. He was the guy on defense over the first two seasons—the vocal leader, the motivator, the heartbeat. Now, the JCSU football standout is transferring to Western Kentucky University, where he’ll play out his final year of eligibility at the FBS level.
But it wasn’t just good TV. It was grit forged in adversity. Before the lights, cameras, and historic win streak, Elin Jones was just another underdog Atlanta-area prospect with no D1 offers and one last shot.
“Man, the campus was like two buildings and some gravel,” he said, recalling his first college stop at Virginia University of Lynchburg. With limited resources and barely a weight room to train in, Jones did what he’s always done—made something out of nothing.
“I tried my best to make it something out of it,” he said. “I got a little film, pushed my GPA, and just went to work.”
VUL was small, but it gave him a crack at the game. And when no one else was calling, that mattered. Even while playing against NAIA and D3 competition, Jones treated every rep like a job interview. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real.
From Rugby Hopeful to Reality Check
His raw talent soon translated to a different field—rugby. After a DM on Twitter asked if he’d ever played, Jones found himself on a club team that traveled the South and eventually qualified for a national championship in Kansas City.
“We were so good that they flew us out for nationals,” he said. “We made it to the finals. Lost a tough one, but it all happened for a reason.”
That performance earned him attention from the University of Georgia’s rugby program, where he trained and competed with the squad in hopes of walking on to the football team.
“I was working out with the UGA rugby guys. And loved it. Competing, grinding… but then they told me I had to get accepted into the school.”
Unfortunately, his GPA wasn’t high enough to clear admissions. The window closed before it ever really opened.
“I had the opportunity from UGA Rugby. But I didn’t even make it to the application. I was crushed.”
Another door closed—but the work never stopped.
Answering the Call from Coach Flowers
Jones’ story could have ended there, but another opportunity was waiting, thanks to someone who had believed in him before: Coach Maurice Flowers.
“I didn’t have no home after my freshman year,” Jones said. “Coach Flowers offered me a shot when no one else did.”
Flowers had first connected with Jones during his time at Fort Valley State, even hosting him on a recruiting visit. That relationship paid off when Flowers took the reins of JCSU football and brought Jones into the fold.
“He told me, ‘Anything you want—just work for it and compete.’ And that’s what I did.”
Tone Setter
In a program rebuilding under new leadership, Elin Jones quickly emerged as a tone-setter—one whose fire, energy, and relentless motor helped fuel a cultural shift at JCSU.
“We were undefeated, man—kings of Charlotte. But when I went down, something was missing. That energy on the field wasn’t the same.”
He clawed his way into the JCSU football lineup, helped lead the team during its 8-0 run to start the 2024 season, and then, just when it felt like everything was coming together, he suffered a devastating injury.
“I tore my MCL and meniscus, and we didn’t even know the severity,” Jones said. “I was trying to make a football play, and one of my teammates rolled up on me.”
The Moment It Turned
“I told myself, ‘It’s either kill or be killed,’” he recalled. “If it’s my last shot, I’m going to give this thing everything I got.”
Despite being sidelined, Elin Jones never stopped leading. Even when he couldn’t walk, he stayed engaged—texting teammates, showing up on crutches, and pushing through physical therapy with relentless drive. Behind the scenes, he was also battling for another year of eligibility. And when the NCAA granted it, the script flipped.
That’s when Mike Walker, a respected trainer, got wind of his story and helped amplify it. Within 24 hours of spreading the word, Jones’ phone lit up with calls from the likes of the University of Maryland, Georgia State, and Missouri.
Brick x Brick Becomes a Launchpad
HBCU Gameday’s Brick x Brick series didn’t just document his pain—it helped rewrite his future.
“Brick x Brick was great exposure for me,” Jones said. “Every coach I met at Western Kentucky told me they’d seen my energy on HBCU Gameday—every practice, every game day. That mattered.”
It wasn’t just hype. The film backed it up. His tape showed a dominant interior force who led by example. The docuseries featured a young man who never quit, never gave up, and never stopped believing—even when he had every reason to.
“It wasn’t just what I did on the field. It was how I led. They saw that, and they wanted that.”
From Smith to the Hilltoppers
Eventually, Western Kentucky made it official. The coaching staff, moved by his story and backed by references from across HBCU football, offered him a full scholarship. Within days, Jones was on campus—smiling, healthy, and locked in.
“When I saw the campus, met the staff—I knew I had a new home,” he said.
He signed on the spot.
Undefeated ‘Til Death
Now seven months removed from surgery, Jones is back where he belongs: in the trenches, working toward Saturdays, chasing greatness. But he’s also carrying something more—proof that DII HBCU athletes, given the platform and the spotlight, can shine at any level.
His season motto? A scripture: Galatians 6:9—”Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due time, we will reap a harvest.”
For Elin Jones, the harvest is only beginning.
“It’s really simple,” he says. “Undefeated ‘til death. You win when you try again.”