Colin Ramos enjoyed a breakout junior campaign in which he became a defensive force for Navy football.
Jeshaun Jones decided to spend another season in College Park and wound up leading Maryland football in receiving for the second straight season.
Those two standout performers have been selected as the Touchdown Club of Annapolis collegiate award winners for 2023. Both are being recognized as much for their on-field performance as their off-field leadership.
Jones, a fleet-footed and savvy wide receiver, will be presented with the Louis L. Goldstein Memorial Gold Helmet as Maryland’s most outstanding player.
“Jeshaun has been a model student-athlete during his time here at Maryland. He’s battled through adversity to thrive on the field with his production, while also being a tremendous leader,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “Jeshaun has earned three degrees while here at Maryland and his future is extremely bright.”
Ramos, an undersized inside linebacker with a tremendous nose for the ball, will receive the Tony Rubino Memorial Silver Helmet Award as Navy’s most outstanding player.
“I can’t imagine a player more deserving of the Silver Helmet Award than Colin. There is no one that works harder or prepares more diligently,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “Colin represents everything the Naval Academy and Navy football stand for. Not only is he a great player, he is also a great person, student leader and ambassador for the academy.”
Jones and Ramos will both be honored during the 69th annual Touchdown Club of Annapolis football awards banquet on Feb. 15 at the DoubleTree Hotel.
Jones elected to return to Maryland for a sixth year of eligibility and made the most of his swan song by posting team-highs with 56 receptions for 790 yards. The Fort Myers, Florida, native was named third team All-Big Ten Conference.
Jones concludes his decorated career ranked fifth in Maryland football history in receptions (149) and receiving touchdowns (14), as well as sixth in receiving yards (2,043). It all began with one of the most spectacular collegiate debuts in program history.
In the 2018 season opener, Jones accounted for three touchdowns on the first three touches of his collegiate career to lead Maryland to a 34-29 upset of Texas at FedEx Field in Landover. Jones started by scoring a 28-yard rushing touchdown off a jet sweep, then followed with a 65-yard catch and run for a touchdown. He topped off the phenomenal performance by throwing a 20-yard scoring strike to fellow receiver Taivon Jacobs off a trick play.
Jones was the first freshman since Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in 2012 to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.
It seemed like the start of a storybook career, but there some rough patches came up along the way. Jones suffered a torn ACL in preseason and missed the entire 2019 season, then Maryland only played five games in 2020 because of the pandemic. Jones was off to a strong start through six games in 2021 before sustaining a second torn ACL.
Jones served as an inspiration for the entire team by battling back from two major knee surgeries to once again become an impact player. As a fifth-year senior in 2022, the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder led the Terps with 44 receptions for 557 yards.
“Jeshaun shows the toughness and resiliency you want to see. He represents all the pillars of our program and he’s a guy that leaves it all on the field,” Locksley said.
Jones earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, then picked up a pair of graduate degrees — a master’s of technology and entrepreneurship along with a master’s of public safety and administration.
Ramos was a force to be reckoned with all over the field while leading Navy with 110 total tackles (57 solo, 53 assisted). He also topped the team with six quarterback hurries and ranked second with nine tackles for loss.
Those were career highs across the board for Ramos, who totaled 79 tackles (8 ½ for loss) and four sacks as a sophomore in his first season as a full-time starter. Generously listed as 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, he survives at an extremely physical position by relying on smarts, speed and instincts.
Navy defensive coordinator P.J. Volker said Ramos takes advantage of having built-in leverage by getting underneath blockers and winning with lower pad level. Volker marvels at the intangibles the New Jersey native possesses and said this season “if I knew the secret sauce I would bottle it up and sell it.”
“Colin has an intense competitive desire to win his matchup. He’s an extremely violent and physical football player who is able to read and diagnose plays quickly,” said Volker, who just completed his fifth season coaching Navy’s inside linebackers.
Ramos also totaled four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two sacks and a fumble recovery on the way to being named first team All-American Athletic Conference. He was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week twice during the season and recorded double digit tackles in six of 12 games.
Volker believes Ramos put forth his finest performance of the season against service academy rival Air Force. He led the way with 11 tackles and a sack as Navy limited the nation’s leading rushing attack to 137 yards — almost 200 below its average.
“I thought Colin was exceptional in that game,” Volker said. “He avoided blocks, he destroyed blocks and found his way to the football over and over. Colin is a tough, aggressive and intelligent football player who can wreck game plans.”