Catawba Ridge High School defensive football standout Nolan Jones will be playing college football.
Jones, 18, signed to play at Wofford College in Spartanburg and will be majoring in business with a concentration in finance.
A linebacker, Jones wanted to keep playing football at a higher level, but said he knows football won’t last forever.
“Academically was the biggest thing to look at,” he said. “It was academics first and then football. At the end of the day, you can’t play football forever. It was a big draw academically. It has one of the best business schools in South Carolina, probably the United States. It is up there. I liked the small classrooms. Professors can work with you one-on-one. I love the community and the culture.”
Jones looked at Western Carolina University and The Citadel for football and Clemson University for academics.
Despite being a linebacker in high school, Jones has more of a build as a safety in college. He may also play some outside linebacker as well.
Jones has played at Catawba Ridge for four years. He said he will miss his high school teammates and coaches going from playing on Friday nights to Saturday.
“I will miss the culture we have built,” he said. “The culture we built. It was a brotherhood. It was a family.”
Jones added he will be taking the Copperheads culture to Wofford with him.
“Winning the rep, doing things the smart way and being the why,” he said.
A two-year captain, Jones has not only led off the field, but on it has well in multiple defensive categories. He has played in 27 games over three seasons. He has 296 career tackles, including school records for with most in a game with 19, and most in a season with 132.
“I am really proud of him,” said Catawba Ridge head football coach Zac Lendyak. “He is a guy that really deserves it. I think Wofford is a perfect fit. He has a never quit mentality. He has come off the field so many times, injured and hurt, and popped right back up and kept going. The toughness mindset is probably the most important thing with Nolan.”
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
