Jones, son of USD legend, building own legacy

Keyondray Jones has burst into the starting lineup as a true freshman and for good reason. He has scored three touchdowns on seven carries and handles kick return duties. Jones has a long way to go reach his father’s numbers but he has taken the first steps.

Occasionally Coyote running backs coach Dante Warren will have his guys over for a meal and Keyondray Jones will be there treating his teammates to stories about whatever comes into his head. 

He’s a true freshman and he might be four years younger than some of his teammates. Even so, the 18-year-old will share his wisdom and they’ll listen.

“He owns the room,” Warren said. “The conversation won’t end and it’s never like ‘OK, that’s enough.’ It’s one good story after another. Keyondray is just a different cat.  And I mean that in a good way.”

Whether it’s dinner time or practice time, Jones is on his way to making a memorable impression on the USD football program. 

The 5-7, 170-pound native of Orlando, Fla., is the son of USD great and former CFL and NFL running back/return man Stefan Logan, a member of the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame who ran for 5,958 yards during a record-breaking career at USD that included two All-America seasons.

In comparison, Jones’ work with the Coyotes is still in its infancy. After enrolling at USD for the spring semester last year – he graduated from high school early – he has opened his college career with three touchdowns in seven rushing attempts in 2023, highlighted by a 34-yard touchdown in a win over nationally-ranked Youngstown State. He added another touchdown last week, scoring from the 2-yard-line in a pivotal win over then-No. 10 North Dakota at the DakotaDome.

“He brings that aspect where he can pop out of the box and surprise defenses,” Warren said. “His height works to his advantage – he can get lost behind the line of scrimmage.”

Jones was on an airplane for the first time in December of 2022 when he and his mother, Tedra Johnson, flew to South Dakota to see the campus and visit with Coyote coaches. Jones had never been outside the state of Florida when he boarded that plane.

That’s what you call sticking to the ground game. 

"My mom and I talked a lot about that plane ride before we made our visit," Jones said. "I was scared. It was my first plane ride, you know what I’m saying? Yes, I was nervous. Then my ears popped when we got up in the air and that had never happened to me before so I was panicking about that. I'm telling my mom I can't hear anything, I thought I was going deaf. Mom's like 'Boy, just relax, you'll be all right.' And I'm like 'But Mom, I can't hear anything.' I was really freaking out. Since then, I've been on planes multiple times so the experience gets better but I'm still not what you'd call a plane type of guy."

His account of that ride gives us a sampling of Jones' story-telling abilities. For sure, as is also the case with the promising start to his football career, there is more where that came from.

He also saw snow for the first time on that trip.

When it came time to make a decision, he prayed on it, talked to his mom about it – she got him through that plane ride, right? – and made the move.

"I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity that I've worked for and been blessed with," he said. "And I definitely have to give a shoutout to my mom. Nothing happens without her. She's the best."

Part of the Coyotes' initial interest in Jones had to do with his attitude. The snow and the cold might be a turn-off for some, but Jones visited during the winter and liked it. That somewhat surprising reaction revealed more insight into Jones' view of the world.

"When you're far from home, everything is about your mindset," he said. "I'm from Florida and it's hot and it never snows there and it never gets real freezing cold. But the way I look at it, if you let the weather beat you up, it'll beat you up. You have to be tough in the mind."

Jones' recruitment did not go through his father initially, though it did come into play eventually. Coyote assistant Elijah Hodge recruits Florida for the program and had recently landed Charles Pierre Jr., another young and promising USD running back from Ocoee High School. Hodge saw some of what Jones could do while visiting the area. Perhaps more importantly, Hodge saw Jones' positive presence on his high school practice field. It left an impression that Warren later confirmed in his conversations.

"We were interested in Keyondray before we knew he was Stefan Logan's son," Warren said. "Obviously our interest grew once we figured that out, but what we really liked was his personality. He's the kind of kid who was demanding excellence from his teammates at high school practices. That was a big selling point."

Jones matches his father's dimensions in height and weight and may someday remind fans of his father's running style. For now, he's doing what he can to add to a group of Coyote running backs that includes talent, experience and depth. Though under 200 pounds, his lifting numbers are impressive enough for coaches to see the possibility for him to progress beyond the scat-back role that has been part of his first season.

Jones is well aware of what he has inherited by virtue of his school choice, but he has purposefully taken a low-key approach to it. He has thought a lot about how he wants it to work out now that he is following in his father's extremely impressive footsteps.

"His legacy is a great stepping stone to reach but I'm a firm believer in making my own path and my own legacy," Jones said. "I want to create my own mark and be special in my own way."

Jones has talked with his dad about all the traditions that are now part of USD football history. Logan, originally a walk-on at USD, made the most of his own life-changing opportunity as a Coyote. 

"Everything feels like it's come full circle for me," Jones said. "My dad and I have always had a good bond – he taught me a lot on and off the field. When my dad and I have conversations he knows exactly what I'm talking about because he's been through it."

Up close, part of Logan's imprint on the Coyotes was his quickness on the field. But it was also the quickness he used to credit teammates. We'll have to wait to get a serious taste of Jones as a running back, but Jones as a teammate is clearly taking up where the old man left off.

"When I first got here, my older teammates didn't look at me like I was a freshman," he said. "They invited me into the family. I'm not a big guy but that didn't mean anything to them. So when I see these guys I look at them like they're all brothers. We are all family. I want to pass along my kudos to the older guys for that. We've made some great memories this season and we're going to make more of them."