Lions sign former NFL, CFL, and XFL Talent

Throughout the 2020 offseason, the Columbus Lions have had a clear plan and areas they wanted to address, specifically in the trenches.

“Our focus has been offensive and defensive line for 2021,” said Head Coach Jason Gibson.
Following the signing of Corey Crawford, the Columbus Lions have remained focused on adding to that defensive line. The Lions have signed another familiar face in “BIG General” Ulric Jones, a defensive end from South Carolina.

Jones is another local talent and played high school football at Oxford High School, only two hours down the road from Columbus. Following graduation from Oxford, Jones went the community college and JUCO route before landing at South Carolina in 2015.

Jones redshirted his first season with the Gamecocks and in two full seasons in Columbia, South Carolina, he tallied 71 total tackles, one sack and four pass deflections.

Jones joined a number of leagues in the years following his time at South Carolina. He was an undrafted free agent coming out of college and signed with the Seattle Seahawks before joining the Birmingham Iron of the AAF.

After a stint in the short lived AAF, Jones found his way to the Columbus Lions for a lone season before being taken in the XFL draft by the St. Louis Battlehawks. Now, he is joining the Lions once again.

The 6’5 312 pound defensive lineman brings with him a lot of talent, determination and experience.
“Ulric is a dominating force on the D-line and can take over a game,” said Coach Gibson. “Ulric is a great addition for us as a team and he is big in our community as well.”

BIG General has been a force in a number of leagues and he looks to continue that trend this year with the Lions.

ABOUT THE COLUMBUS LIONS
The Columbus Lions are members of the National Arena League (NAL). Founded in 2007, the Columbus Lions are starting their 15th season in 2021. The Lions are a 3x league champion and 13 playoff appearances in their rich history. The Lions play their home games at Hughston Field in the Columbus Civic Center. Lions Season Ticket Memberships are on sale now call (706) 322-3336 or visit columbuslions.com. Follow the Lions on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lionsfootball/, twitter @columbuslions and instagram.com/Columbuslions.

ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE
The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. The National Arena League will kick off its fifth season in 2021. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague