UWA Football Standout’s Life Cut Short In Bay Minette Crash

University of West Alabama freshman football player Elisha Jones III lost his life in a car crash over this past weekend. 18-year-old was from the Baldwin County town of Stockton. The deadly head-on collision happened near Bay Minette on Alabama 59 near the 54-mile marker early Saturday afternoon around 1:15 according to ALEA State Troopers.

Jones and another person were in a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze when it was struck head-on by a 2021 Lexus RX 350 driven by a 15-year-old juvenile. The trooper reports states the Cruze caught on fire and became totally engulfed in flames.

The 15-year-old was taken to a Baldwin County hospital to receive medical attention. 51-year-old Chantelle L. McPherson of Spanish Fort, who was a passenger in the Lexus, was injured and transported by helicopter to USA Health University Hospital in Mobile

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According to the UWA football website, the 6'0" 240-pound defensive lineman signed with the Tiger's after playing for Baldwin County High School in Bay Minette. He made 162 total tackles and 24.0 tackles for loss in his three-year High School career. Jones averaged 11.8 tackles per game as a senior and was an Alabama Sportswriters Association 6A All-State Honorable Mention.

In his obituary the player's former high school coach, Andrew Davis, shared through tears that Elisha was truly “a light to everyone.” Davis said Jone's light, "was not confined to the field—it radiated in classrooms, locker rooms, and in every space where he shared his warmth, humility, and unshakable positivity. To his coaches, teammates, and peers, he was not just a player; he was family."

Jones was the 2024 recipient of the OJ French Memorial Supplemental Scholarship which encourages minority youth to pursue a higher education. Jones had planned to major in mechanical engineering.

Funeral arraignments are still in the planning process.

Troopers have released no further information due to the Highway Patrol Division's continuing investigation into the cause of the collision.