Emory Jones addresses questions about his future at Florida
Emory Jones is planning to enter the transfer portal. However, he played his final game for Florida on Thursday — unable to end his career with the Gators on a high note.
Earlier in December, GatorsOnline’s Nick De La Torre reported Jones’ plans to enter the portal following the Gasparilla Bowl against UCF. Following the game, a saddened Jones was asked about his future following the 29-17 loss.
“I’m not really thinking about my future right now,” stated Jones. “I’m still thinking about what just happened there on the field. Just feeling bad for the seniors, and just wish I would’ve sent them out the right way.”
Moreover, Jones elaborated on his feelings of disappointment for not getting the Florida seniors a victory.
“I’m just trying to bottle up everything that’s happening on the field,” stated Jones. “Honestly, I just told Malik [Davis] awhile ago .. the seniors, I’m just thinking about those guys right now. I wanted to send those guys out the right way, and we didn’t get that done. So, I’m kind of dealing with that right now.”
In what was an uneven season for Jones, the Gasparilla Bowl was a microcosm of his year. To illustrate, the Gators quarterback completed 14 of 36 pass attempts — amassing 171 yards and no touchdowns in the process. On the ground, Jones added 62 yards on ten carries, as well.
As you can see, it wasn’t enough — UCF won the game, and bragging rights over the Gators.
Emory Jones had an rollercoaster stint with the Florida Gators. Unfortunately, he was never able to reach the heights he intended to when coming to Gainesville as a four-star recruit. Time will tell if he can find more success at his next destination.
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This season, Emory Jones ranked No. 10 in the SEC with 213.6 passing yards and 58 rushing yards per game. The dual-threat quarterback was a big part of the Gators offense under Dan Mullen and interim coach Greg Knox. In fact, he accounted for 57.8% of the Gators’ offense this year.
He’ll have two years of eligibility left.
Florida parted ways with Mullen prior to its regular-season finale against Florida State and hired Louisiana coach Billy Napier to replace him. The Gators went 6-6 this season, ending their year with the aforementioned loss to UCF.
Jones was a four-star recruit out of high school from the Class of 2018 and was the No. 11 quarterback from that class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Jones held offers from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, among others, out of high school.
His biggest game this year came against Samford when he threw for 464 yards and six touchdowns, ran for 86 yards and a touchdown and led Florida to a 70-52 comeback victory over FCS Samford on Nov. 13.