Mustang CB Brandon Jones breaks up a pass during first day of spring practice March 1, 2007 (photo by Webmaster).

SMU football head coach Phil Bennett admitted he didn’t know if he ever would see cornerback Brandon Jones suit up in the Ponies’ secondary again. For two years, Jones was a valuable asset in the defensive backfield after spending a semester at junior college before transferring to SMU. But last spring he got into academic trouble in a class, and lost his eligibility for the 2006 season.

Losing Jones, the Ponies’ eighth-leading tackler in 2005 with 52 stops, was particularly rough for a secondary that already was losing cornerback Ro Humphrey and safeties Jamey Harper and Alvin Nnabuife to graduation. Jones’ absence left the Ponies with an extremely young secondary, and Bennett said that while the team clearly missed the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Jones, he wasn’t due any sympathy for the interruption in his playing career.

“He put himself in that position,” Bennett said. “But I tell you what, he also got himself out of it. He has worked extremely hard to get back here, eligible, and he’s extremely hungry. He’s ready to play.

“He’s rusty, there’s no question about that, but he’s ready to go.”

Jones missed last spring’s workouts. He spent the spring semester and summer working out on his own and working on his academics. In the fall, he was allowed to practice with the team, but not suit up for games. The experience was frustrating, he said, but also turned out to be beneficial.

“It drove me crazy to not be able to play,” Jones said. “Things happen, and I had a class get away from me. I put myself in that position. But watching those games — that was tough, because I couldn’t help the team win.”

When on the field, Jones clearly has that ability. His 4.4 speed allows him to run with the most fleet receivers, and his athleticism, leaping ability and give him a knack for being around the ball. As a sophomore in 2005, he broke up five passes; many PonyFans remember him for the two he knocked away in his first game as a freshman, against Texas Tech.

It was in that game, Jones said, that he realized the level of coaching he was getting at SMU.

“Coach Bennett has the most excellent coaching mind I’ve ever been around,” Jones said. “When the other team’s offense is out on the field, he’s calling their plays before they do.”

During his time as a practice-only player, Jones also learned — about his teammates and about himself.

“If it wasn’t for my teammates, I probably wouldn’t be back here today,” Jones said. “They were very supportive in everything, they included me in everything. They never made me feel like I wasn’t part of the team or anything like that. They’re like my family at SMU, and they helped me get back here.

“The other thing that helped a lot was playing on the scout team. I’d played a couple of years in our defense, but when you’re on the scout team, you’re playing what the other team runs. Going against the first team every day in practice, you have no choice but to work to perfect your technique. I hated watching last year, but I’m going to be a better player this year.”

Where Jones fits into the cornerback rotation this season is unclear. The two cornerbacks who started most games in 2006 — Jonathan Lindley and Bryan McCann — both return, as do redshirt freshmen Tim Crosby and converted wide receiver A’Darius Medford. Devin Lowery has moved back to wide receiver, and David Haynes has moved to safety, but JUCO transfer Rock Dennis also factors heavily into the mix. According to Bennett, there are plenty of snaps to go around.

Head coach Phil Bennett said that Jones' return to the SMU secondary will allow the Ponies to play more three-cornerback sets (photo by Webmaster).

“We’re going to play three corners more than we did last year, more nickel,” Bennett said. “We’ve got more athletes there than we’ve had before, so we can play more of them and keep them fresh. Brandon’s going to be in there — he’s going to help us.

“I didn’t know for sure until December that he was going to be fully eligible this spring, and let me tell you, we’re excited to have him back — he’s going to help us. He’s got great instincts and awareness, and he can really run. He’s a very good player.”

From Jones’ perspective, how he fits into the rotation doesn’t matter. He’s on track to earn his degree in economics and eager to get back on the field this Saturday in games, not just in practice.

“In my first game, against Tech, they scored on me near the end of the game. We’re in a timeout, and Coach Bennett said ‘they’re going to run a slant-and-go.’ Sure enough, we come out, and they run the slant — I bit on it and they scored. That was my first college game ever, and I realized right away how much he knows. I’ve never doubted his judgement again.”

If Bennett’s assessment of Jones’ work ethic and hunger to get back on the field and pure ability are as astute as his ability to predict the plays for opposing defenses, then Jones’ return to the field in 2007 should make the secondary a strength for the SMU defense.