ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Terrapin wide receiver Jeshaun Jones was honored as the recipient of the 2023 Louis L. Goldstein Gold Helmet Award, given annually to the Most Outstanding Player at the University of Maryland. 

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) along with 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 the start of a storybook career, but there wound up being some rough patches along the way. Jones suffered a torn ACL in preseason and missed the entire 2019 season. Maryland only played five games in 2020 because of COVID. 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 Terrapins with 44 receptions for 557 yards. That season featured a career game on Senior Day as the veteran wideout caught nine passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. 

"Jeshaun shows the toughness and resiliency you want to see," said Maryland Head Coach Michael Locksley. "He represents all the pillars of our program and he's a guy that leaves it all on the field."  

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.