Upson-Lee looks to be a formidable team in 3A this season. The program has been on the bubble of the classification rankings each week, and 247 Sports’ Ben Moore said it best, “I saw them live last night hang 50 points on Fayette County and they have versatile dudes on both sides of the ball.”
One of those versatile ‘dudes’ is senior Nytraevion Jones. The 6’2″ 205 lbs. athlete lines up across the field on offense and defense. Spectacular plays abound, making each week seem almost routine at this point, and last week was no exception. Jones lined up at linebacker on this occurrence. A quick screen pass out to the sideline had the senior sprinting in hot pursuit. When he caught the ball carrier, Jones relentlessly ripped, twisted, and turned at the football before prying the ball loose. Before any Trinity Christian player could react, Jones crossed the endzone with the ball in hand.
The play earned a spot in the weekly top 10 on Sunday night, and 24 hours later, Jones was voted one of the top 3 plays of the week. We talked to the senior about the season and how everything has gone.
“My senior season has been great, doing what I love with my boys and better yet winning big ball games nobody expected us to win,” Jones said.
Last week, Upson-Lee trounced Trinity Christian 40-7, and they have now won 4 games in a row after starting the year 2-3. Region 2 has been a wild one this season, and they will be fighting this Friday for important playoff standing against LaGrange.
A key matchup for this game will be new Liberty football commit and star RB Malachi Render-Fannin at LaGrange and how linebackers Malachi Character and Nytraevion Jones will adapt. They will have their work cut out against one of 3A’s best rushers.
With a strong season, Jones talked about how he would like to finish.
“The goal for this season is to make it to state with my squad and put Upson-Lee on the map as one of the better programs in 3AAA,” Jones said.
Through 9 games, Jones has 77 tackles, 4 pass breakups, an interception, and of course the rip-six that made top plays. The senior is adjusting to a switch over to linebacker, after being the deep free safety for Upson-Lee last season. Having the senior closer to the action helps with physicality, but what is even more impressive is watching Jones flip his hips over and stick with a skill player in man coverage like a defensive back still.
“I have improved a lot from last year with my man-to-man coverage and picking up more PBUs as a result,” Jones said.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a linebacker in the class of ’25 with coverage skills like Jones. During the offseason, he was one of our biggest sleepers simply because that versatility coupled with his physicality and 6’2″ frame should have D1 programs’ interest.
Speaking of which, Jones talked about the latest recruiting news.
“I have offers from Eastern Kentucky, Cornell, and Dartmouth and have gone on gameday visits to Georgia State and I’m about to take some more visits after the season,” he said.
Those visits might be on hold with the playoffs looming, and Upson-Lee looking like a dangerous team who could press into the quarterfinals and beyond. So be sure to follow @RecruitGeorgia on Twitter/X to hear the latest on Jones and athletes across the state.
