[DeWare94]

NORMAN, Okla. -- Ask anyone who is familiar with Oklahoma football if they know who Kejuan Jones is, and they would respond with a quick "yes."

Many OU students from the Tulsa area would also tell you that he was a hard-hitting, rough-and-tumble tailback and main contributor to Jenks' legendary run of state football championships. What most people do not know is there is a different side to Kejuan Jones.

Jones, the Sooners' 5-9, 189 pound senior running back, is a self-proclaimed "momma's boy." He also has a fear of insects, mainly spiders. This fear dates back to his childhood.

"Growing up, I wasn't really wealthy," Jones said. "I had to deal with a lot of rats, spiders and other insects. Being the only boy, I had to end up killing them."



Jones also never liked dogs until he came to college.

[View Full Quote]"Brandon Everage turned me on to liking pit bulls," Jones said. "I love my pit bulls. They are my best friends - Candy and K.J. I also breed pit bulls and sell them in Tulsa."

Breeding pit bulls is not the only passion of Kejuan Jones. Football is his number one passion, and he wants to keep it in his life after he graduates in May.

"Hopefully, I will get the chance to play at the next level in the NFL," Jones said. "It really doesn't matter what team I play for, but I want to be close to home like Dallas or Kansas City. If I don't get into the NFL, I plan on coming back and being a middle school football coach because I really like kids."

Jones knows what it is like to have people look up to him. As a senior leader, he has gone through many struggles and triumphs with his class, a group he has quite a bit of respect for.

"There were points where I wanted to quit," Jones said. "The only reason I didn't was because I saw the other guys going through the same things I was going through."

Teammate and fellow senior leader, Brett Rayl, agrees with Jones.

"You always respect the guys you come in with," Rayl said. "You want to have the same dedication and attitude that the 2004 seniors demonstrated and keep that feeling going."

Jones and the other seniors learned from the class that went before just as that class learned from the one before it. Former Sooner Brandon Shelby explained the role of the senior class on a football team.

"Being a senior means you can play around, but when it's time to work you do it," Shelby said.

Seniors "Maturity plays a big part in being a senior. There are expectations set for you as a senior and, while you don't want to step on anyone's toes, you have to let them know that it's not personal. Being on the football team is like a child growing up. When you are a senior, you are the adult and have to keep everyone in line. Teams with good senior leadership show that with good team chemistry and success on the field," Shelby said.

Jones said he has not had any difficulties being a good senior leader for the underclassmen on the team, but there has been one challenge for him.

"Keeping a straight face all the time is hard. While the other players are playing around, you want to join them. You're the senior and older than everyone, so you need to set a good example, to let them know it's not the right thing to do," Jones said. "You have to step up and be the bad guy sometimes."

Jones seems to be headed in the right direction. His college football career is almost over, but his passion of football will continue either in the NFL or as a middle school football coach. No matter what he does with his passion of football, Oklahoma has not seen the last of Kejuan Jones.

it would be cool to have him as a cowboy since i am a big OU fan but i dont really know if he has nfl potential, he was pretty good the year before AD got there