Carson-Newman Football Position Previews: The Safeties
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the fifth part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' safeties with assistance from co-defensive coordinator Tyler Almond.
VIDEO: Coaches in Cars Getting Coffee – Tyler Almond
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the fifth part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' safeties with assistance from co-defensive coordinator Tyler Almond.
Safety is the position that probably features the biggest loss on the team. That statement is made with two-time All-American Major Williams currently wearing a red and white No. 42 jersey for the Kansas City Chiefs and Kendall Williams having graduated.
"I definitely wish he was still suiting up for us," Almond said. "We've got some big shoes to fill with Major playing for the Chiefs and Kendall Williams graduating. Fortunately, a lot of guys that have played are back and we got a couple guys in the transfer portal, couple young talented safeties as well. I'm really looking forward to this group and where we go this year."
Still, the cupboard is not bare. Jet Jones (Atlanta, Ga.) is back for his senior year sitting on 99 career tackles and 21 career starts.
Jones played in 11 games with starts for C-N in 10 contests. He had 37 stops and 0.5 tackles for loss. Jones also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble while breaking up three passes. Jones topped out at eight tackles in the Eagles win over Wingate (Sept. 21). He also had his half tackle for loss that day. He had seven tackles and forced a fumble against Catawba (Sept. 28). His fumble recovery came at Emory & Henry (Oct. 26).
"Jet, he's one of the smartest players that I've been around," Almond said. "You say something one time and he's just like it's there. He's got good questions that relate to everything that he's going to see out there. Today at practice, I told the other safeties if Jet says something, you all listen. There's no batting an eye at Jet. He's definitely a coach on the field and adds a lot of seniority. He can be our bell cow this year in the secondary."
With the Williams' (unrelated) departures, Almond said Jacob Mattison (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Colgate transfer Richemard Mellien (Naples, Fla.) have factored heavily into the room.
Mattison appeared in 11 games for C-N, making seven stops defensively and on special teams. He had multiple tackles at Emory & Henry (Oct. 26).
"Jacob played a lot of special teams last year, but didn't really get in a lot at the at the nickel position too much," Almond said. "But he's been one of our most improved players – he's just real physical off the edge, blitzing and can cover. He's really improved his coverage game, his footwork and he'll definitely have a lot a big role for us."
In 2023, Mellien had a dozen tackles with eight solo stops and a pass-break-up. Saw action against Syracuse, Villanova, Penn, Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Bucknell and Fordham. Finished the season strongly with five solo tackles and two assists along with a pass break-up against Fordham (Nov. 18). Solo tackles against Syracuse (Sept. 2), Penn (Sept. 16) and Bucknell (Oct. 28) and added an assist versus Bucknell.
"He couldn't play for us last year due to transfer rules, so he did use a redshirt year," Almond said. "We would have definitely used him last year. So it's we're very fortunate to have him back and actually being able to play."
Carson-Newman has added depth at the position with Makhi Shaw and Jerron Blakely, as well as Campbell transfer Idris Williams.
Almond stressed the development of his players has men of character was just as, if not more important than their development on the field.
"That's why I got into coaching," Almond said. "I think I'm around like-minded people with our head coach Ashley Ingram. I know that he preaches that every day and we get to do it at a place that makes that the model for everything, whether it's a a math class or extracurricular activities. Everything that you do here at Carson Newman isfor a for a much higher purpose. So I could not be more blessed to be here and to be around all these people. That's the reason you do what you do. I tell the guys all the time, I hope that when they're 40 years old that they can look back on their experience here and say that they gained something from it that's helping them at their 40 year old age. That they look back on their experience with me and can say the same."
Carson-Newman football's position previews continue Sunday with the offensive line.
