Friday night was the culmination of a lifetime of work for Gerald Everett, and nearly a decade of groundwork by South Alabama's football program.
The Los Angeles Rams selected Everett in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, choosing the Jaguars tight end with the No. 44 overall pick. He's the first USA player drafted by an NFL team in the nine years since the program was formed in 2009.
"This moment is extremely important [for the program] and something we have been looking forward to have happen over the last four years as we've been at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level," Jones said.