Jones attended Vicksburg High School, before moving on to Mississippi State University.
He was a three-year starter and had a junior year to remember, when he was one of the nation's scoring leaders and received second-team All-SEC honors.
Against Memphis State University, he rushed for 114 yards on 10 carries (including a 72-yard run) and scored 4 touchdowns.
As one of Tony Dorsett's backups, he served the role of an all-purpose running back and the team's primary return specialist.
In 1982, he suffered a serious left knee injury that cost him 11 games,[4] all of the next year and forced him to start the 1984 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, after having multiple operations.