College Football

Who Is Parker Jones? Watch Georgia Player Accidentally Hit Ref During Sugar Bowl

Author photo
By
Dan Girolamo
Author photo
Dan Girolamo Sports Editor

Dan is a multifaceted content creator who specializes in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. His entertainment work has been featured on Digital Trends, where he has interviewed Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alison Brie, Adam DeVine, Sadie Sink, Chris O'Dowd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Frank Grillo. Dan's entertainment work has also been featured on Coming Soon, Hidden Remote, and WatchMojo. Dan's other passion in life revolves around sports, graduating from Marist College with a degree in Sports Communication and Journalism. From columns about the latest in New York sports to gambling predictions, Dan continues to find success in written and broadcast journalism. Previous written work can be found at Unafraid Show, while broadcast clips can be seen on WAVE.tv and CBS Sports.

Get to know Dan Girolamo better
Sports Editor

Published02 Jan 2025

Disclosure
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
A Georgia player hits a ref on the sideline.

If you didn’t know the name Parker Jones, every Georgia fan knows it now after he committed a penalty during the first half of the Sugar Bowl.

Watch: Parker Jones Runs Into Referee

Jones is a redshirt sophomore walk-on cornerback on Georgia’s football team. Although Jones did not suit up for the game, he did wear his No. 39 jersey.

In the second quarter, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton completed a long pass to Arian Smith. As Arian Smith was running down the sidelines, Jones illegally stepped into the white area on the sidelines reserved for the officials.

The sideline official ran into Jones, triggering a 15-yard penalty against Georgia. The Bulldogs would have had 1st-and-10 at the 11-yard line. Instead, the Bulldogs moved back 15 yards to the 26-yard line.

“No. 39 runs right into the official; he slows him down,” ESPN analyst Greg McElroy explained on the broadcast. “That’s what ultimately causes the penalty. You have to stay out of the white part. That is the officials’ area. They own that white part of the sideline. You usually have a get-back coach, and that time, a big 15-yard penalty.”

The drive ended in a field goal for the Bulldogs.

Was It A Good Call?

According to ESPN rules analyst Matt Austin, the refs made the right decision to flag Georgia for sideline interference.

“If there’s contact, [you have to flag it],” Matt Austin said on the broadcast. “As Greg [McElroy] said, it’s dangerous down there. He’s running full speed to keep up with the play to get a good spot. And if something gets in his way, there’s a collision; it’s extremely dangerous. So, yeah, that’s a good call.”

The internet had a field day at Jones’, with many users on X joking that the Georgia walk-on might not be on the team to start the second half.

Georgia’s team website crashed due to the high amount of searches for Jones’ bio.