Jones' Journey Back
9/22/2017 2:44:00 PM | Football, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Last October, Quentin Jones suffered a serious head injury in the second half of Lehigh's 63-35 win at Yale. At that moment, and the ensuing months, the last thing he could think about was football.
It took a lot of hard work, persistence and patience, but Jones is back and better than ever.
"At the time, I couldn't really think or process how hard the situation was," said Jones. "I would just sleep 12 to 15 hours a day for all of October, November and the first half of December. It wasn't until around Christmas time that I could start working out again.
"That time off to relax and do completely nothing was what I needed."
When Jones got hurt, Lehigh and Yale still had a game to finish, but it became difficult to focus on football. Something much bigger than football was on peoples' minds.
"We had tremendous help from Yale and the doctors at the local hospital," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "We were very fortunate because the hospital is one of the best in the country, so he got great care right away. Our physician was here as well, so we had everything in place.
"It's scary when you look at one of your teammates in that condition. It was hard for our kids to finish the game, but I think the distraction was on both sides of the field."
Following Jones' release from the hospital, he went home to Lawrenceville, Georgia. At first, he couldn't physically watch Lehigh games, but as his condition improved, he was able to watch more and more.
Even though Jones was more than 700 miles away from Bethlehem, he still felt a connection to his Lehigh football family.
"When they won, I was very happy," said Jones. "I was happy because we got the job done and that's all that really mattered."
"We" is Jones' Lehigh family, a group of people who care deeply about each other.
"Seeing Q go down was definitely a huge loss for the team and defense especially," said junior defensive back Donavon Harris. "We knew we had to play our hearts out for him. We made sure we kept in contact. I even wore Q's orange Georgia cleats pregame to represent him and make sure he stuck close with us."
Jones' message to his teammates was to focus on the task at hand. The Mountain Hawks responded by winning the Patriot League Championship in convincing fashion, highlighted by a dominant 58-37 win over Fordham which wasn't even as close as the final score indicated.
Flash forward to today as the Mountain Hawks are focused on doing it again, with Jones back where he belongs alongside his Lehigh family.
Coming back from an injury like he suffered takes just as much mental work as physical. Jones loves the sport too much to walk away.
"Not playing football again did cross my mind for a second," said Jones. "However, I just focused on getting healthy because that was the only thing I could do at the time.
"I don't even try to pay attention to any nerves because it's not going to help me perform to the best of my abilities. Every time I go out there, I say my prayers and hope for the best. I expect to compete at a high level and play the best I can."
Jones returned to campus last spring semester and slowly eased back into the swing of things.
"I didn't participate in any of the beginning practices," he said. "I did all the workouts with the team and then when it came time for spring practice, I didn't participate in live activities."
As Jones came back, the coaching staff didn't know what to expect.
Quentin responded well.
"We had a few scrimmages this fall, the first of which was a full-go scrimmage," said Coen. "The first time he had an opportunity to hit somebody, he made a perfect tackle, bounced up and was ready to go. That was great to see."
For the first time since the injury last October, Jones returned to the playing field for a game on Sept. 2 vs. Villanova, finishing with three tackles while returning four punts for 35 yards.
"Being back out there was a great feeling," he said. "I wasn't nervous, but just trying to focus on playing football the way I know I can. I was a little rusty, but I was just glad to be on the field."
From day one, Jones has always expected a lot from himself, on and off the field. He enjoyed success early in his Lehigh career, but has only improved since.
"I played right away as a freshman; my role was small, then it got bigger and bigger throughout the years," said Jones. "Academically, classes are tougher and schedules are different, but it was a pretty solid transition."
Jones' progression as a player has seen him take on more and more responsibilities over the years.
"I only played cornerback in high school, then when I got here, I transitioned to playing nickel in the slot," he said. "I played free safety and strong safety my sophomore year. Junior year, I went back to corner.
"Each year, I've learned a different position that has put me in a strong spot for this year, when I'm playing everywhere [as a rover]."
Last October, Jones' life was put on hold. All he could focus on was resting and feeling better. Once he felt better and returned to Lehigh, it took a lot of hard work to catch up in not only football, but also academics.
"When I came back in the spring, I took a regular semester," he said. "This past summer, I took three classes, which was tough. This fall, I'm taking 16 credits, then 16 more credits in the spring and I'm set to graduate on time."
After graduation, Jones should have a number of options. The sociology major is in the real estate minor program.
"Sociology is the study of social relations while real estate is also about social relations and how you interact with people," he said. "I specialize in interacting with people, so having the real estate side puts me in the best of both worlds."
Jones' world was shaken last fall, but he is back on track. He's put the incident behind him and is solely looking forward, focused on being the best student, and football player, he can. With that comes the goal of leading the Mountain Hawks to back-to-back Patriot League Championships for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
"I see myself as a big-play guy on this team and our defense," said Jones. "I'm going to be in different places throughout the field, so I hope to provide energy, spark and big-time plays all over the field."
Jones' impact has been felt due to not only his on-field play, but also the overall presence he brings.
"It's great to have my boy back on the field," said Harris. "We were a close-knit group last year, so we've gotten even closer now that Q is back. He's always laughing and has positive energy, but he always makes sure we're focused. He's one of our leaders in the secondary, a role he's really embraced. Guys listen to him and respect him."
Jones is taking things one day at a time, looking to get better every opportunity he gets.
"The only specific goal I have is to go out there, play to the best of my abilities and perform to the level I know I'm capable of," he said. "If I can do that, the results will come."
What matters most to Jones is he's healthy and playing the game he loves.
Jones is back and better than ever.
"It definitely brings the appreciation for football to another level when you're taken away from it, especially since for a while, I wasn't even sure if I'd get back," he said. "Being able to come back and progress the way I have has definitely made football even more special to me."
"I think Quentin's body is bigger and stronger than it's ever been," said Coen. "Quentin played very well against a very good Villanova team [in the opener], which was good to see. He was fearless.
"It was like it never happened, and that's the way you want it to be."
Last October, Quentin Jones suffered a serious head injury in the second half of Lehigh's 63-35 win at Yale. At that moment, and the ensuing months, the last thing he could think about was football.
It took a lot of hard work, persistence and patience, but Jones is back and better than ever.
"At the time, I couldn't really think or process how hard the situation was," said Jones. "I would just sleep 12 to 15 hours a day for all of October, November and the first half of December. It wasn't until around Christmas time that I could start working out again.
"That time off to relax and do completely nothing was what I needed."
When Jones got hurt, Lehigh and Yale still had a game to finish, but it became difficult to focus on football. Something much bigger than football was on peoples' minds.
"We had tremendous help from Yale and the doctors at the local hospital," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "We were very fortunate because the hospital is one of the best in the country, so he got great care right away. Our physician was here as well, so we had everything in place.
"It's scary when you look at one of your teammates in that condition. It was hard for our kids to finish the game, but I think the distraction was on both sides of the field."
Following Jones' release from the hospital, he went home to Lawrenceville, Georgia. At first, he couldn't physically watch Lehigh games, but as his condition improved, he was able to watch more and more.
Even though Jones was more than 700 miles away from Bethlehem, he still felt a connection to his Lehigh football family.
"When they won, I was very happy," said Jones. "I was happy because we got the job done and that's all that really mattered."
"We" is Jones' Lehigh family, a group of people who care deeply about each other.
"Seeing Q go down was definitely a huge loss for the team and defense especially," said junior defensive back Donavon Harris. "We knew we had to play our hearts out for him. We made sure we kept in contact. I even wore Q's orange Georgia cleats pregame to represent him and make sure he stuck close with us."
Jones' message to his teammates was to focus on the task at hand. The Mountain Hawks responded by winning the Patriot League Championship in convincing fashion, highlighted by a dominant 58-37 win over Fordham which wasn't even as close as the final score indicated.
Flash forward to today as the Mountain Hawks are focused on doing it again, with Jones back where he belongs alongside his Lehigh family.
Coming back from an injury like he suffered takes just as much mental work as physical. Jones loves the sport too much to walk away.
"Not playing football again did cross my mind for a second," said Jones. "However, I just focused on getting healthy because that was the only thing I could do at the time.
"I don't even try to pay attention to any nerves because it's not going to help me perform to the best of my abilities. Every time I go out there, I say my prayers and hope for the best. I expect to compete at a high level and play the best I can."
Jones returned to campus last spring semester and slowly eased back into the swing of things.
"I didn't participate in any of the beginning practices," he said. "I did all the workouts with the team and then when it came time for spring practice, I didn't participate in live activities."
As Jones came back, the coaching staff didn't know what to expect.
Quentin responded well.
"We had a few scrimmages this fall, the first of which was a full-go scrimmage," said Coen. "The first time he had an opportunity to hit somebody, he made a perfect tackle, bounced up and was ready to go. That was great to see."
For the first time since the injury last October, Jones returned to the playing field for a game on Sept. 2 vs. Villanova, finishing with three tackles while returning four punts for 35 yards.
"Being back out there was a great feeling," he said. "I wasn't nervous, but just trying to focus on playing football the way I know I can. I was a little rusty, but I was just glad to be on the field."
From day one, Jones has always expected a lot from himself, on and off the field. He enjoyed success early in his Lehigh career, but has only improved since.
"I played right away as a freshman; my role was small, then it got bigger and bigger throughout the years," said Jones. "Academically, classes are tougher and schedules are different, but it was a pretty solid transition."
Jones' progression as a player has seen him take on more and more responsibilities over the years.
"I only played cornerback in high school, then when I got here, I transitioned to playing nickel in the slot," he said. "I played free safety and strong safety my sophomore year. Junior year, I went back to corner.
"Each year, I've learned a different position that has put me in a strong spot for this year, when I'm playing everywhere [as a rover]."
Last October, Jones' life was put on hold. All he could focus on was resting and feeling better. Once he felt better and returned to Lehigh, it took a lot of hard work to catch up in not only football, but also academics.
"When I came back in the spring, I took a regular semester," he said. "This past summer, I took three classes, which was tough. This fall, I'm taking 16 credits, then 16 more credits in the spring and I'm set to graduate on time."
After graduation, Jones should have a number of options. The sociology major is in the real estate minor program.
"Sociology is the study of social relations while real estate is also about social relations and how you interact with people," he said. "I specialize in interacting with people, so having the real estate side puts me in the best of both worlds."
Jones' world was shaken last fall, but he is back on track. He's put the incident behind him and is solely looking forward, focused on being the best student, and football player, he can. With that comes the goal of leading the Mountain Hawks to back-to-back Patriot League Championships for the first time since 2010 and 2011.
"I see myself as a big-play guy on this team and our defense," said Jones. "I'm going to be in different places throughout the field, so I hope to provide energy, spark and big-time plays all over the field."
Jones' impact has been felt due to not only his on-field play, but also the overall presence he brings.
"It's great to have my boy back on the field," said Harris. "We were a close-knit group last year, so we've gotten even closer now that Q is back. He's always laughing and has positive energy, but he always makes sure we're focused. He's one of our leaders in the secondary, a role he's really embraced. Guys listen to him and respect him."
Jones is taking things one day at a time, looking to get better every opportunity he gets.
"The only specific goal I have is to go out there, play to the best of my abilities and perform to the level I know I'm capable of," he said. "If I can do that, the results will come."
What matters most to Jones is he's healthy and playing the game he loves.
Jones is back and better than ever.
"It definitely brings the appreciation for football to another level when you're taken away from it, especially since for a while, I wasn't even sure if I'd get back," he said. "Being able to come back and progress the way I have has definitely made football even more special to me."
"I think Quentin's body is bigger and stronger than it's ever been," said Coen. "Quentin played very well against a very good Villanova team [in the opener], which was good to see. He was fearless.
"It was like it never happened, and that's the way you want it to be."
Players Mentioned
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