Austin Jones addresses timeline for making decision on future

USC running back Austin Jones has a decision to make. He can either return to the Trojans for the 2023 season, or he can opt to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones is still trying to make up his mind, and he was asked over the weekend about when that decision could be made.

“I’m not really sure yet,” Jones said when asked about a potential timeline for his decision. “Just trying to weigh my options and kind of see how it goes. Just weighing my options.”

Jones spent most of this season as the primary backup to Travis Dye in USC’s running back room, though he still had a prominent role. He rushed for two touchdowns in the season opener against Rice, and had a big game in Week 3 against Fresno State with 110 yards and a score on just 12 carries. Once Dye tore his ACL and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, Jones took over as the primary rusher for USC and never looked back.

Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Jones had 57 carries for 348 yards and two touchdowns, adding another score and 112 yards on nine receptions.

Though Jones was limited to 75 total yards in the Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah, Jones is still poised for a large role in 2023 should he opt to return to USC.

Overall, Jones totaled 644 yards and five touchdowns rushing this season, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt on 113 carries. He added 21 receptions for 247 yards and one touchdown through the air.

Prior to the 2022 season at USC, Jones spent three years at Stanford. There, he totaled 1,155 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground and 67 receptions for 531 yards and another touchdown through the air.

Jones has shown that he can produce at a high level, and that’s exactly what was expected of him when he began his collegiate career. As part of the 2019 recruiting class, Jones was rated as a four-star prospect. He was the No. 9 running back and No. 121 overall player in the class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

If Jones does opt to return, he will bring valuable experience back with him to an offense that also returns Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.