Wilson grad eager to experience college football at a higher level
2026 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Once he got on the field at Holy Cross Cam Jones proved quickly that he could play with the best the Patriot League had to offer.
Now he wants to prove himself at a higher level. The Wilson grad committed this week to play at the University of Toledo, an FBS program that competes in the Mid-American Conference against schools such as Ohio University, Miami of Ohio, Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Akron.
“As a kid you dream about being the best player ever and competing against the best players,” said the 2022 Wilson grad. “I felt I proved myself at the FCS level. I thought it was time to go to the FBS and experience what this level has to offer competition-wise and everything else that comes with it.”
Jones, a junior academically, has two years of athletic eligibility remaining.
He was a two-time All-State pick and a lock-down corner for the Bulldogs, establishing himself as one of the greatest all-around players in program history.
After a redshirt freshman season at Holy Cross he became a fixture on defense over the past two seasons, starting every game and earning all-conference honors each year.
He knew he was ready to compete at a higher level. Navigating the NCAA transfer portal, he quickly learned, became just as big a challenge as shutting down opposing wide receivers.
Jones was deluged with offers as soon as the portal opened, both from coaches at the Football Championship Subdivision – smaller Division I programs, commonly referred to as the Group of Five – and from the Football Bowl Subdivision — referred to as Power Four schools, such as Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan.
Dozens of programs reached out to the 5-11, 190-pound cornerback. Jones estimates he communicated with more than 30 schools over the last two weeks. He found the process overwhelming.
“You’ve gotta do so much research on the back end to figure out what the school has, what it’s offering, look at the coaching staff, look at the depth chart to see where you might fit in,” he said.
Toledo, one of the first programs to reach out to him, emerged as the best fit. Jones liked the fact that the Rockets’ new head coach, Mike Jacobs, hired just last month, has roots at the FCS level; he led Mercer to the national playoffs the past two seasons.
Jacobs was hired to replace Jason Candle, who left in December to take the job at the University of Connecticut after posting an 81-44 record over 10 seasons at Toledo.
“This is a coach that wants to win a lot of games and compete for championships and get to the College Football Playoff berth,” Jones said of Jacobs. “More importantly, a lot of guys that he’s bringing in from the portal are FCS guys. He’s an FCS coach and he really believes in that FCS grind and all the things you’ve gotta go through at that level. That was eye-opening to me.”
Jones will no doubt get an eye-opening experience when the Rockets kick off their 2026 at Michigan State and before more than 70,000 fans at Spartan Stadium. Holy Cross’ football home, Fitton Field, has a seating capacity of 23,500.
The Rockets will face Temple and San Diego State in their first two home games at Glass Bowl Stadium, which seats 36,000.
Jones looks forward to the challenge.
“(Coach Jacobs) is elevating a lot of guys, giving them an opportunity – giving me an opportunity – to prove myself at this level,” he said. “I’m just blessed to be in this position to go out there and compete and show not only the team but the coaches the type of player, the type of person that I am. That’s all you can really ask for – a clean slate, a clean shot.”
Jones found the transfer portal and the process of choosing a new football home to be chaotic. He didn’t arrive in Toledo until late Wednesday, two days after classes had begun. He found himself sleeping on a teammates’ couch and living out of his car for the first few days.
He has faced similar hurdles before. Bob Chesney, the head coach who recruited him to play at Holy Cross, left following Jones’ freshman season to take a job at James Madison (replacing Curt Cignetti, who went on to Indiana.)
Jones had to prove himself to a whole new staff and did.
As a redshirt freshman in 2024 he led Holy Cross with nine pass breakups, tied for the team lead with a pair of interceptions, and earned second-team all-conference honors.
In 2025, when he was named a captain, he started 10 games, led the team with eight pass breakups, and was a first-team all-conference pick. The highlight of his season came with a Pick-6 in a season-ending win over Georgetown at Fenway Park.
Jones is anxious to win over another coaching staff.
“(Playing) at this level,” he said, “it’s really going to give me an opportunity to show people who I am and allow me to see what the other kids are really about.”
