UTEP’s Aaron Jones fitting in nicely with Green Bay Packers

Former UTEP star running back Aaron Jones is an El Pasoan through and through, but he’s already fitting in nicely in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers.

Jones has become fast friends with fellow rookie running back Jamaal Williams out of BYU, even as the two compete for playing time.

The two first met at the Super Bowl after agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents both players, introduced them. Little did they know they would both be drafted by Green Bay a few months later. The Packers chose Williams in the fourth round and then selected Jones one round later.

“We both played running back, and it helps when you’ve got somebody else seeing a different viewpoint than you,” Jones told ESPN. We just hit it off there and kept in contact and we’ve been friends ever since. [We’re] doubly excited that we are on the same team because I get to go through this with one of my friends.”

Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy has said multiple times that he’s excited about the competition at running back between the two friends and returning veteran Ty Montgomery.

But Jones is fitting in well off-the field, too. He recently took part in a charity softball game hosted by Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson. It was his first real taste of how much the Green Bay community loves anything and everything Packers-related.

“I’ve never seen this many fans at a charity event, so I had a lot of fun,” Jones told WBAY-TV. “They said a softball game, so I was thinking maybe a couple hundred people. But 8,000? That’s crazy.”

Jones and the offense ended up beating the Green Bay defense in the game by a final of 27-24.

Jones is UTEP’s career leader in rushing yards and also posted the best single-season total when he ran for 1,773 yards in the 2016 campaign. He also set a team record for most 100-yard games with 17 in his college career.