LB A.J. Jones ready to return from injured knee

Forced to sit out his freshman year after breaking his ankle during preseason activities, Florida Gators redshirt senior linebacker A.J. Jones bounced back to appear in 36 games over the following three seasons. Faced with adversity once again after tearing his ACL and MCL against Florida International on Nov. 21, Jones missed the team’s final three games but has since been fully cleared by doctors to return to action and be a full participant in summer practices.

“I’m good. I’m full go. I just saw the doctor for the last time today and he cleared me,” Jones told the St. Petersburg Times. “I had a lot of support, and it gave me motivation to want to come back harder. I know I’m working for something now, I’m a part of this team, and that’s my real motivation. You want to be accountable. You don’t want to let your teammates down.”

OGGOA exclusively reported in late May that Jones had also been wearing a protective boot after having “simple surgery” to remove a screw from his foot. At the time, he was expected to heal nicely and make a full recovery.

Jones was certainly effective in the 11 starts he posted in 2009, recording 37 tackles (4.5 for a loss), three sacks and three interceptions. He is once again slated to start in 2010, this time with senior Brandon Hicks and sophomore Jon Bostic by his side.

Photo Credit: Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution