After some social media build-up on Monday, it was announced Tuesday morning that Roddy Jones will be officially joining Brandon Gaudin as the color commentator on the IMG Sports Network radio team.
Former A-Back Roddy Jones joining #GaTech IMG broadcast team as color analyst #GoJackets http://t.co/inGkhUZvZx pic.twitter.com/sEVPdCMU0z
— Georgia Tech Sports (@GTAthletics) June 24, 2014
For more info and quotes, see below for the rest of the official media release:
"I am honored and incredibly excited to be a part of the Georgia Tech radio team in the fall," Jones said. "I would like to thank IMG, (Tech radio play-by-play voice) Brandon Gaudin and (Georgia Tech athletic director) Mike Bobinski for giving me this opportunity. I have always enjoyed listening to the broadcasts, so to now be a part of bringing that experience to fans every Saturday is very humbling...Georgia Tech certainly has a special place in my heart, and the games can't start soon enough!"
While Jones will make his official debut when Georgia Tech hosts Wofford on Aug. 30, the Stone Mountain native has already built an impressive broadcasting portfolio since graduating in 2011. Jones has done extensive ESPN3 analyst work (with Gaudin) including Georgia Tech’s Pro Day and Spring Game as well as a plethora of Yellow Jacket baseball and softball broadcasts. In 2012, Jones had a featured weekly segment on the football radio pre-game show. As an undergrad, Jones hosted "This Week in Tech Athletics" on RamblinWreck.com and continued to do more work on Tech’s official website as a graduate student.
"Luring Roddy to the booth is a win on all fronts," said Gaudin. "He was a star at Tech, is already a proven on-air talent, and has an outstanding reputation in the community. It doesn't hurt that he's also one of the nicest, most upbeat people I've ever been around. We're lucky to have him back in the Yellow Jacket family."
While Jones is making his mark as a broadcaster, he is well-known for being a key performer for head coach Paul Johnson’s first four Georgia Tech teams from 2008-11. Jones started in more games (52) than any player in Yellow Jacket football history while ranking among Tech’s all-time leaders in career games played, career rushing yards (1,846) and career touchdowns (19). Jones became an instant Georgia Tech legend as a redshirt freshman in 2008 when he carried 13 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets’ memorable win at Georgia.
In addition to his football prowess, Jones was highly successful in the classroom and engaged in the community. In 2010-11, he served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. From 2008 through 2010, he was named to the ACC All-Academic Team every year.
Congratulations to Roddy! I, for one, am excited for him. I've met him a couple of times, and he's one of the nicest folks you'll ever come across. I'm excited to have one of our own, who loves Georgia Tech as much as he does, spreading the Good Word to all of Yellow Jacket country on Saturdays in the Fall.