Former South Carolina State and Florida International quarterback Amari Jones will begin the next chapter of his HBCU football career at Bethune-Cookman, he announced Saturday on social media.
Jones’s commitment to BC comes after he signed with the MEAC champion South Carolina State Bulldogs in January with the expectation of becoming SCSU’s next marquee quarterback in the departure of standout signal caller Eric Phoenix. Instead of leading the Bulldogs’ offense under second-year football coach Chennis Berry, Jones will seek to become the lead man under center in the Wildcats’ offense.
FBS to MEAC to SWAC
“God’s body! He makes no mistakes! Work time,” Jones wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound quarterback spent two seasons at FIU. Last season, Jones threw for 101 yards and tossed one touchdown in a reserved role for a Panthers’ team that finished 4-8 and 3-5 in Conference USA action.
Jones joins a BC team that finished 2-10 overall and 2-6 in SWAC play in the 2024 campaign under Wildcats football coach Raymond Woodie Jr. Last season, quarterbacks Cam’Ron Ransom and Luke Sprague led Bethune-Cookman’s offense, with Ransom handling an overwhelming majority of the snaps.
Ransom finished the season with 1,844 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions while rushing for 163 yards on 106 attempts and five touchdowns on the ground in 11 games. As an offensive unit, Sprague amassed 336 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in five games last season. BC finished next to last in scoring offense (20.2 ppg) and rush offense (105.4 ypg), ninth in total offense (290.2), and eighth in pass offense (184.8) per game in the 2024 season.
Amari Jones’ arrival in Daytona Beach, Florida, could be the spark needed for Woodie’s offense in the 2025 season. Bethune-Cookman will begin the 2025 HBCU football season on the road against FIU on Aug. 29 in Miami. Setting up a potential revenge match with the quarterback’s former FBS team.
