On Sept. 15, 2019, Steven Jones lined up at right guard. Jones’ defender shook him and applied heavy pressure to Justin Herbert. Herbert broke the tackle, rolled to his right and completed a touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson III.
“I actually messed up on that play,” Jones said. “Even though I messed up, we were still able to get it. Luckily we have a star quarterback back there and he was able to make that play, but that’s not good enough on my part.”
That moment was a learning experience for a young Jones — One of many the lineman received while serving as a backup in his first two seasons with the team.
Jones took a backseat to Penei Sewell and the seasoned offensive line the rest of the year. Sewell won the Outland Trophy in 2019 for best interior lineman and was a unanimous all-American. But on Sept. 7, 2020, Sewell announced he would forego his junior season and declare for the draft. The Ducks no longer have their all-American lineman or star quarterback to bail them out. If the graduation of Justin Herbert wasn’t already a dagger to the hearts of Ducks fans, this certainly was.
Sewell’s mark on the program goes deeper than his achievements — it’s felt all the way down the depth chart. Two years of practicing with and taking advice from Sewell has prepared redshirt sophomore Steven Jones to fill the left tackle position.
“He’s brought a lot to the table,” Jones said of Sewell. “Great teammate, love that dude to death. The biggest thing he told us is that the mentality aspect is very important. Keep pushing, keep grinding and always strive to be the best in whatever position you’re playing on the field.”
According to 247Sports, Jones was a four-star recruit out of Chaparral High School in Temecula, California. He didn’t commit a penalty or allow a sack his freshman season, playing in five games and taking 107 snaps at left tackle. He graded out as the No. 1 tackle in the Pac-12 following a win over UCLA.
As the senior core took the field each week, Jones got slimmer and stronger. He came into his freshman year at 375 pounds, dropped to 354 his sophomore year, and is now down to 340. Still, he was overshadowed by the veteran offensive line. In 2019, he used a redshirt.
Not only is the offensive line losing Sewell, but also what’s been the core of the line for the last four seasons: Shane Lemieux, Jake Hanson, Calvin Throckmorton, Brady Aiello and Dallas Warmack. This means that while Jones faces the pressure of replacing one of the best players in college football, he must also step up as a leader on the line.
“We feel that, since the old heads left, a lot of people look at us as the weakest link,” Jones said. “None of us go by that. We’re all just here to push each other and lead these young guys to a great season.”
Jones is looking to channel that same group mentality the old unit had. He won’t have to do it alone. He credits Alex Forsyth and George Moore for stepping up and bringing the young group together. And with so many spots open, there’s plenty of healthy competition to bring out the best in the group. As of right now, it seems Jones is the man for the left tackle job. He’s learned from the best, and now it’s time to step up.
“We’re all kind of the old heads now,” Jones said. “We took all these young guys under our wing, getting them ready to go because they could play at any time this season too. It’s been amazing. Our chemistry is all starting to come together slowly but surely.”
