By the time most people in Sampson County see Devin Jones on Friday nights pushing bodies on the football line, on winter nights banging in the paint as a basketball center, or in the spring sending a shot put sailing through the air, the work is already done.
What they do not see are the hours behind closed doors.
“What I really reflect on,” Jones said, “is the amount of time I spent in the weight room, on the field and off the field, in the schoolhouse. The time I spent getting better throughout the years at home, even working, doing little drills and stuff, and just overall progressing as I went.”
It is that unseen grind that has carried Jones from a freshman finding his way to a senior leader for the Lakewood Leopards, now holding a college football offer and preparing for the next chapter of his life.
“Yes sir,” Jones said when asked whether his growth came from what he did when no one was watching.
Faith and
patience
Jones’ first scholarship offer did not come early. It did not come easy. And for him, that mattered.
“It feels great,” he said. “It took a little longer than I expected it to take, but it was all God’s time. I just waited, being patient, waited my turn, and finally got the tick.”
That opportunity came from Barber-Scotia College, and it lit a new fire.
“It definitely boosted my confidence up a lot more than what it was,” Jones said. “Coming from Lakewood, it’s not a very big school. Little school in the country. It’s not like these Clinton schools, where you got kids going to college every year. So for it to come from here, it feels great.”
Faith, Jones says, anchors everything.
“Right before every game, after every game, sometimes before practice, after practice, you just got to pray, man. Hope for the best. God’s got you.”
That steady spiritual foundation also guides how he handles adversity.
“Don’t think because one thing doesn’t go your way that the rest of the things won’t go your way,” he noted. “One thing goes bad, don’t beat yourself up about it. Pray on it. Be patient. Days will turn around for you.”
This past season tested that belief.
“We had ups and downs this season. Losing the first game, that hurt. But things turned around from there… and out of that, an offer came.”
Loyalty
over leaving
After last season, Jones faced the same crossroads many small-school athletes face: stay and build, or leave and chase exposure. He contemplated on trying his luck at a bigger school that was known to get kids in college. With a big graduating class last year and a new coaching regime, Jones was a bit nervous.
“I kind of saw that it wasn’t going to be the best,” he admitted. “So I tried to do what was better for myself and leave.”
That moment changed at the kitchen table.
“I talked to my mom, and she said, ‘Why would you want to leave? Do you know how that would make you look to other coaches?’” Jones recalled. “They’d look at you like, ‘he’s not loyal to his team.’ That visually changed my mind.”
So he stayed.
“I stuck with the team I was with since freshman year, and we just went from there.”
That decision now stands as one of the defining pillars of his story.
Tri-sport grind
In football, Jones plays both sides of the ball on the offensive and defensive line. In basketball, he anchors the middle as Lakewood’s center. In track, he throws shot put and discus.
“I’m in way better shape than I was my freshman year,” he said. “Not just physically, but mentally. I understand now what comes with being a student-athlete.”
His growth showed in the spring.
“In conference, I placed third,” Jones acknowledged. “At regionals, I placed seventh in shot and eighth in discus. That’s what sent me to state.”
For Jones, the physical growth mirrors the mental evolution.
“Freshman year, you think you can goof off, but that reflects on the rest of your three years. I had to learn that the hard way,” he stressed.
Now, entering basketball season as a leader alongside Dashaun Carr and Juan Parker, Jones believes the foundation is set.
“The chemistry we have, it’s unmatched,” he attested. “If me, Juan and Dashaun do what we got to do, the rest of the team will fall into place. Then we should win games … simple as that.”
Few people have watched Jones’ transformation more closely than football coach Travis Elliott.
“The biggest thing about DJ is he’s not stuck in one mode,” Elliott said. “He doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to play.”
That flexibility is what earned Jones his early offer.
“They gave him that offer simply because of his ability to play anywhere,” Elliott said. “He’s selfless. He puts team before self. And he’s not going to be outworked.”
Elliott describes Jones as a rare type of leader.
“He’s not a vocal leader,” Elliott stressed, “he’s a leader by action, and by example.”
And that example extends far beyond the football field.
“Whatever you need me to do, coach, let’s go to war,” Elliott said. “He walks the hallway like a man. He’s not being crazy. He’s not being disrespectful. His character is top tier.”
In 24 years of coaching, Elliott does not hesitate where Jones stands.
“I’ve coached kids for 24 years, and DJ goes into the top tier when it comes to character,” he said. “You want all your boys to be like that.”
Family, faith,
and the foundation
Jones is quick to redirect all praise back to the people who built him.
“One of them is my mom, Jasmine Owens,” Jones said. “And my girlfriend, Hazel.”
There was a moment not long ago when he nearly walked away from everything.
“Old coach left,” Jones pointed out. “I probably wouldn’t have played that year.”
It was his family who would not let him quit.
“Without them, my grades wouldn’t be what they are now,” he said. “It’s one thing to help your kid. It’s another thing to stay up all night helping them figure something out so they can keep playing sports. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
Elliott sees that same support system every day.
“He helps his grandma. He’s got a good family that keeps him motivated,” Elliott said. “When that college coach started talking about curfew and study hall, that was music to that family’s ears.”
Jones also plays drums at church, another layer of discipline in an already packed life.
“You got to stay in motion,” Elliott said. “Run forward, walk forward, crawl forward, but keep moving forward. DJ does that.”
Life beyond sports
If athletics were taken away tomorrow, Jones already knows his direction.
“I still plan on going to college even if sports don’t work out,” he said. “I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering.”
A recent visit to Sampson Community College opened his eyes.
“It inspired me,” he said. “Seeing businesses that help the world become a better place; that made me want to further my education.”
And through it all, the answer that matters most to him remains simple.
“I want to keep making my mom proud,” he said.
When pressed further about his own dreams, Jones paused — then delivered the line that defines him.
“What I want for me?” he said, “is to leave this world knowing … I gave it everything I’ve got.”