Baylor Football's Jones, Randolph to Play in East-West Shrine Bowl

WACO, Texas – Baylor football greats Matt Jones and Garmon Randolph will play in the East-West Shrine Bowl, set for 7 p.m. on Thursday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The game will be televised live on NFL Network.

Jones will play for the East and Randolph will suit up for the West. The duo is playing in their second post-season bowl game of the year, also suiting up in the Hula Bowl on Jan. 11. Jones, Randolph, Lorando Johnson, Steve Linton and Treven Ma’ae have all played in post-season bowl games in advance of the 2025 NFL Draft.

A native of Odessa, Texas, Jones completed a decorated Baylor career in 2024 as the program record holder for games played. Over his 62 games suited up for the Bears, Jones brought down 328 career tackles, ranking 8th in most tackles in program history. His 197 career solo tackles puts him in the top-10 in the program while his 35 tackles for loss ranks him at No. 7, passing Baylor legend Mike Singletary (1977-80).

During the 2024 season, Jones posted seven double-digit tackle games. In the first four games of the season, Jones put in double-digit numbers in three including 13 tackles against Air Force. Against Oklahoma State, Jones had a standout game with 12 total tackles and a career-high of 10 solo tackles. Jones brought down three tackles for a loss of 18 yards including a sack for a loss of 13 yards and a forced fumble against the Cowboys. Jones was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Overall, Jones posted 113 total tackles, 64 solo tackles, and 9.5 tackles for loss in his final season with Baylor.

Randolph, a Jefferson, Georgia native, competed in 52 games in his Baylor career with 28 starts. The senior combined for 120 tackles, 14.5 being tackles for a loss of 78 total yards. Garmon brought down 10 sacks for a loss of 66 yards over his six years for the Green and Gold.

Randolph opened the 2024 season with a sack for a loss of seven yards against Tarleton and followed up the following week by tying his career-high in solo tackles with four against Air Force. At Iowa State, Randolph picked off his first interception since 2021 for 10 yards. In his final game as a Bear at the Kinder’s Texas Bowl, Randolph grabbed an interception for a 17-yard return. Overall, Randolph recorded 29 tackles, 20 being solo, and 4.5 tackles for loss in his 11 games played his senior year.

Baylor in Post-Season Bowl Games

College Gridiron Showcase - Jan. 10-12

• Lorando Johnson

Hula Bowl - Jan. 11

• Matt Jones
• Steve Linton
• Garmon Randolph

Tropical Bowl - Jan. 17

• Treven Ma'ae

East-West Shrine Bowl - Jan. 30

• Garmon Randolph
• Matt Jones