Maryland
Maryland WR Jeshaun Jones, a South Fort Myers High grad, to play in Saturday’s Hula Bowl
Former University of Maryland football standout Jeshaun Jones, a South Fort Myers High School alum, will be among the college football players competing in Saturday’s Hula Bowl All-Star Football game in Orlando.
Jones, a wide receiver, wrapped up his Terrapins’ career in December, catching three passes for 43 yards in Maryland’s 31-13 victory over Auburn in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn. As a graduate student in 2023, Jones led all Terps receivers in receptions (56) and yards (790) while also catching four touchdown passes.
A 2018 graduate of South Fort Myers High, Jones spent six years at Maryland after knee injuries cost him nearly two full seasons. Despite the physical setbacks, he finished his career as one of the best wide receivers in the program’s history.
Here are some additional things to know about Jones and the Hula Bowl.
What were some of Jeshaun Jones’ best moments at Maryland?
Jones burst on the scene as a true freshman in 2018, recording a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown on his first three touches in an upset win over Texas. Jones became the first FBS player to accomplish this feat since Marcus Mariota did it for Oregon in 2014 and was named the CBS Sports National Freshman of the Week. He ended his freshman year with seven touchdowns and his five receiving scores were the most for a Maryland freshman since Stefon Diggs.
From 2018: South Fort Myers’ Jeshaun Jones on his historic debut with Maryland
A torn ACL cost Jones the entire 2019 season and another season-ending injury knocked him out of the second half of the 2021 season. As a redshirt senior in 2022, Jones set career marks with nine catches for 152 yards and a touchdown in Senior Day against Rutgers. His touchdown reception allowed Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to break the program’s all-time passing TD mark.
Last season, Jones became only the 16th Terp to surpass 100 career receptions. He also became only the eighth Maryland player to have 100-yard receiving games in three different seasons when he caught six passes for 121 yards in a win over Indiana. Jones also reached the 2,000-yard mark for his career when he had 70 receiving yards at Rutgers. With a victory in the Music City Bowl, Jones helped Maryland become one of just four Power 5 schools to win bowl games in each of the past three seasons.
What awards did Jeshaun Jones win at Maryland?
Jones, who earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, earned All-Big Ten Academic honors three times. He was also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award recipient in 2021-22 for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. Jones was named to the preseason watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in major college football, in both 2021 and 2023.
How does Jeshaun Jones rank among Maryland’s wide receivers?
The 6-foot-1, 188-pound Jones finished his Maryland career fifth in program history in both receptions (149) and receiving touchdowns (14) and sixth in receiving yards (2,403). Those totals place Jones among other Terps receiving luminaries such as current NFL players Stefon Diggs (Buffalo Bills), D.J. Moore (Chicago Bears) and former NFL standouts Jermaine Lewis, Torrey Smith and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
What is the Hula Bowl?
Established in 1946, the Hula Bowl All-Star Football Classic began as a matchup between college football players and a local Hawaiian Islands team. For a brief period, NFL players joined the Hawaiian team to create a more competitive game.
In 1960, the Hula Bowl transitioned to an All-Star game that featured only NCAA college players in an East vs. West format. The game remained in Hawaii until moving to Orlando in 2022.
The teams will be comprised of NCAA college players from all divisions, along with international players from Japan. The game will also include Polynesian players with ties to Hawaii.
Who gets invited to the Hula Bowl?
Each year, 100 of the top college players are invited by the Hula Bowl Selection Committee, which is made up of former college and professional football players and coaches. Players must be college seniors or recent graduates. Invitations are based on a player’s potential to make a professional team’s roster. Scouts from the NFL, UFL, and CFL will attend the game.
Notable players who participated in past Hula Bowls include NFL Hall of Famers Reggie White, Dan Marino, Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, and Deion Sanders.
How can I watch the Hula Bowl?
This year’s 78th annual edition of the Hula Bowl will be played at the University of Central Florida’s FBC Mortgage Stadium. Kickoff is at noon. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Department of Police.
SILVER SPRING, MD. – A 15-year-old driver is in custody after allegedly striking an off-duty police officer’s vehicle and subsequently crashing into a residential home in Montgomery County.
What we know:
According to the Montgomery County Department of Police (MCPD), Fourth District officers responded to the 12800 block of Bushey Drive following reports of a vehicle colliding with a house.
Preliminary investigations reveal the incident began earlier when the teenage driver was allegedly involved in an initial collision with an off-duty police officer. Rather than stopping, the 15-year-old sped away from the scene, police say. The brief flight ended when the driver lost control and crashed directly into a nearby home.
Authorities confirmed that two other occupants who were inside the vehicle fled the scene on foot immediately after the house crash and remain at large.
The off-duty officer involved in the initial collision did not require transport to a hospital, according to police.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue services remained on the scene for several hours working to safely extract the vehicle from the structure.
What we don’t know:
The incident remains under investigation.
The Source: Information from the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Maryland’s 2026 primary election is almost in the books, so it’s time to recognize the –ests among the results — best, worst and weirdest.
Hear me roar
Tie: Vanessa Atterbeary, Aisha Braveboy, Allison Pickard
If these Democrats win in November — almost a sure thing given the weakness of their opponents — women will be the executives of Howard, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. That’s a first.
If incumbents Julie Giordano in Wicomico and Jessica Fitzwater in Frederick also win in November, at least five of the nine county executives will be women. That’s another first.
The results also put Black women and men — Braveboy, Atterbeary, Will Jawando in Montgomery County and Julian Jones in Baltimore County — in four of the executive offices, one more first.
The results set up an interesting tier of possible candidates for governor in 2030, the highest office in the state that’s still male-only territory.
Runner-up: Pam Beidle. The retiring state senator funded a slate of candidates that almost swept the Anne Arundel primary.
Small fortune
David Trone
Ever hear the one about the best way to make a small fortune? Start with a big one and then run for office.
Trone, the liquor store magnate, loaned himself $25 million for his Democratic campaign to win back the 6th Congressional District seat. He lost to his successor, Rep. April McClain-Delaney.
That’s on top of $57 million he loaned to his campaign for the U.S Senate seat in 2024. He lost that one to U.S. Sen Angela Alsobrooks.
It’s proof of many things. Most notably, the liquor business is very profitable.
Runner-up: Quincy Bareebe. The business owner loaned her 5th Congressional District campaign $8 million.
Clout and about
Wes Moore
The governor’s campaign says 93% of the candidates he endorsed won, and this election solidifies his leadership of the Maryland Democratic Party.
In an email titled “Wes Moore is Maryland’s Kingmaker,” spokesman Carter Elliott said the governor pushed candidates over the top across the state. In some cases, he wrote, the winners were lagging in polls until Moore’s boost.
Among the 200 endorsements, the campaign highlighted Del. Adrian Boafo in the 5th Congressional District primary, McClain-Delaney in the 6th, and Atterbeary, Jawando and Jones in county executive races.
Others he mentioned include Sarah David’s win for the Baltimore County prosecutor’s office, Malcolm Ruff in a Baltimore state Senate race and Tara Jackson in the Democratic primary for Prince George’s state’s attorney
Runners up: Cryptocurrency and pro-Israel super PACS. They spent $8.8 million to elect Boafo.
Nonliving candidate
Nancy Jane Taylor
The Republican candidate for governor was one of nine in the primary that 2022 candidate Dan Cox won.
Taylor passed away May 23, but her family used her obituary for one final pitch, asking friends and loved ones to remember her by voting for her.
The Hagerstown woman and her running mate, daughter Rachel Hannah “Mohawk” Swift, earned 2,618 votes. That was good enough to beat one other candidate.
Runner-up: Ralph Jaffe. The Baltimore County perennial candidate died in February.
Best for everyone
Dalya Attar
Whatever the outcome of salacious charges involving alleged sex tapes and blackmail facing the state senator from Baltimore, voters shouldn’t be dragged into it.
Ruff defeated Attar in a contentious Democratic primary that included accusations of antisemitism.
Now she can focus on her defense.
Runner-up: Marc Knapp. Removed from the Anne Arundel Orphans Court for misconduct, voters rejected his bid to regain his seat.
Public financing
Will Jawando
Jawando won the Montgomery County executive Democratic primary, tantamount to taking the office, on a publicly financed campaign. It’s the biggest victory this year for a candidate using the system.
The state and five counties now offer this option.
Runner-up: Gavin Buckley. The former Annapolis mayor was one of two candidates in Anne Arundel’s new system, and the only one to win.
Stuntastic
Bobby LaPin
The social media phenom’s campaign was in some ways a stunt, although one good enough to make Senate President Bill Ferguson change his approach to the election and, maybe, his job.
Runner-up: Mark Conway. The Baltimore councilman used guerrilla tactics in his unsuccessful challenge to Rep. Kweisi Mfume, notably an April debate challenge at the congressman’s office.
See you in court
Gabriel Acevero
The Montgomery County delegate won likely reelection to the General Assembly, but he’s got to go to court first.
The delegate exchanged punches with local union leader Gino Renne at an early voting site in Gaithersburg. Both men say the other started it, and both said they would file assault charges.
Runner-up: Jared DeMarinis. The state elections director blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to seize Maryland voter rolls, but now faces a Republican lawsuit to block certification of primary results.
Political toast
Ed Hale
Party switching, delusions of grandeur and ethically gray AI ads do not a statesman make. The former banker should take his Republican primary loss to Cox in the governor’s race as an invitation to exit stage right.
Runner-up: Nancy King. The 76-year-old Senate majority leader from Montgomery County lost a surprise squeaker to Amar Mukunda, 33.
Runner-runner-up: Harry Dunn. A hero of Jan. 6 to be sure, but twice defeated in runs for Congress is a sign that maybe it’s time to move on.
Biggest loser
Independent voters
Many winners in the Democratic primaries now go on to almost certain election in November.
Maryland has closed primaries, so all taxpayers fund elections that only party members decide. In races where one party has an unbreakable majority, primaries serve as the general election.
So when turnout sinks to an anemic 20% as it did in this primary, a teensy portion of the electorate is calling the shots. If you’re an unaffiliated voter, you’re silenced.
If it sounds like taxation without representation, it’s not. It just sounds like it.
Runner-up: Republicans. Maryland’s perennial runner-up is on a path to finish second, again.
Did I miss something? Absolutely.
Now it’s your turn. Look forward to your comments below.
A Maryland man was sentenced to 15 months in prison for making online threats toward Black and Muslim communities and politicians.
Raymond Pumphrey, 47, from Brooklyn, Maryland, pleaded guilty to making threats transmitted by interstate communication with the cybercrime, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland announced.
Social media sites used for hateful comments
Pumphrey made threatening posts on the social media platform YouTube and other social media sites, according to the guilty plea. He commented primarily on news stories.
According to court records, he used the social media platforms for hateful rhetoric, particularly attacking Black and Muslim communities. He threatened to participate in the killing of Black multiple large cities across the country.
Pumphrey also threatened to kill multiple politicians and members of their families.
CAIR Maryland responds to sentencing
The Maryland Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Maryland) applauded the court’s sentencing. The organization condemned the threats, saying that “threats of violence targeting minority communities would not be tolerated.”
“We welcome today’s sentence as another important step toward accountability for those who use online platforms to target Black, Muslim, and other vulnerable communities,” CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry stated. “Hate-filled threats are not protected expressions of opinion. They are criminal acts that inflict real fear, undermine public safety, and can inspire acts of violence.
Chaudry continued, “We thank federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies for pursuing this case and demonstrating that those who target minority communities with threats of violence will face serious consequences. At a time when hate incidents continue to impact communities across our nation, it is essential that authorities respond swiftly and decisively.”
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